Opinion: Barbara Hyde says ‘it’s time to recognize what Memphis has built’
Barbara Hyde, Guest Columnist | Daily Memphian
Next week, more than 550 arts funders from across the country will gather in Memphis for the 2026 Grantmakers in the Arts conference, the leading national gathering of arts-philanthropy professionals. The conference sold out weeks in advance, a strong indication of interest in visiting Memphis.
They will arrive in a city alive with art. This year alone, more than 20 arts organizations are celebrating milestone anniversaries. Two major new museums have opened, the National Civil Rights Museum’s Legacy Experience and the Metal Museum, and Memphis Art Museum will open in December. The New York Times recognized this momentum by naming Memphis one of the best places to visit in the world. None of it happened by accident.
Earlier this year, ARTSmemphis launched Recognize, a campaign inviting Memphians to see the power of art and just how much of it our city has created. Think about what we’re celebrating this year: 90 years of live music at Overton Park Shell, 75 years of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, 70 years of Opera Memphis, 50 years of Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 40 years of Ballet Memphis and 20 years of Collage Dance Collective and RiverArtsFest. And that’s not even the full list.
These anniversaries are not only a cause for celebration. They show what sustained support for artists and cultural institutions can create through decades.
In Memphis, we are often quick to notice what’s missing or compare ourselves against cities with more resources and national recognition. Let’s pay equal attention to what we have built here.
The truth is we have a depth and breadth of arts organizations that would be remarkable in a city twice our size. They aren’t just high quality for Memphis. In many cases, they’re singular in America.
Hattiloo Theatre is the country’s only Black repertory theatre producing new work. Architect Magazine proclaimed America’s next great museum isn’t in Los Angeles or New York, it’s Memphis Art Museum. The National Civil Rights Museum was the first institution of its kind, and the Metal Museum remains the only museum in the world dedicated to fine metalwork.
These institutions exist because generations of Memphians supported them and because talented artists and administrators chose to devote their energy and passion to this city.
Grantmakers in the Arts chose Memphis because it offers a case study in what sustained investment in arts and culture can produce in a midsize city. Memphis is worth learning from. If hundreds of national arts leaders are paying attention to Memphis, we should, too.
To our GIA visitors: Welcome. You already know Memphis has a tremendous cultural legacy. We hope you leave knowing the best is still being built.
To Memphians: See our city through a visitor’s eyes. Visit the National Civil Rights Museum and explore the new Legacy Experience. Walk through the transformed Rust Hall and experience the Metal Museum. When Memphis Art Museum opens in December, step inside and know it’s your museum.
Memphis has always been Culture City. This year visitors from across the country will see what generations of Memphians have built. Let’s be just as curious in our own city.