Sunday, April 12, 2015

Memphis Life: Flowers at the Dixon (#30PhotosInBetween)

Memphis in the spring is, in a word, gorgeous.

One of the best places to experience the beautiful weather (after it warms up and before it becomes hot hot hot) is the Dixon Gallery & Gardens.

The Dixon was founded in 1976 and contains a large collection of French and American Impressionist paintings, quite a bit of British and German porcelain and silver, and very good and diverse temporary exhibits, all housed in an elegant building on 17 acres of gardens, forest, and lawns, laid out in an English style.

The exhibit right now is "Hail, Britannia!: Six Centuries of British Art from the Berger Collection" and, given the subject matter, it's clearly a great one for me! It's also just a fantastic exhibit, with a little something for everyone.

They have some great programming with the exhibit, and for the Dixon in general, but one of my favorite things is to go, walk around the exhibits, and then wander into the gardens.

Pick up a map at the Gallery entrance, and then set off!


I definitely recommend checking out the exhibits - but the garden is so pretty right now (and photographs much better than paintings!) that's what I'm going to focus on!




The tulips are in bloom right now, and they're gorgeous.


Grape hyacinths are some of my favorite flowers, and they're all over the place at the Dixon.


The lawn behind the museum has benches to sit on, and they have events back there as well. 

One of the best things about the gardens is that they're gorgeous for events, like weddings, but they're also perfect for just sitting and reading a book.

And on April 15th, at noon, the Tennessee Shakespeare Company is having an outdoor performance!

"This brown-bag lecture series features local artists, experts and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens staff sharing their expertise on a variety of topics. Free for members and students with ID.
Starring Rachel Brun and Joey Shaw, Created and Directed by Stephanie Shine, Tennessee Shakespeare Company Bring your picnic blanket or lawn chair for this special outdoor presentation. William Shakespeare coined thousands of words and phrases that have become staples in the English language. In Tennessee Shakespeare Company's lively Shakespeare Said It! theatrical context for Shakespeare’s linguistic inventions is shared, illuminating the genesis for phrases that we use every day.  Imagine we all are quoting Shakespeare, even when we don't know it!"




I also love just walking through the woods on the grounds. And they have a Little Free Library!

The Dixon is an amazing gem in Memphis - and the best part is, it's incredibly affordable to be a member!

An individual membership is $45, a family starts at $60, a Young at Art membership (great for couples!) starts at $100, and so on. They also have an e-Membership, which is what I have, for $20. This gets you free admission to the grounds and gallery, but not discounts in the shop or some other benefits that I wouldn't use much. Great value, especially for students!

So, next time someone says "There's nothing to do in Memphis!" smack them upside the head (or don't - no one wants assault charges) and send them to the Dixon!

(Also, I'm a day off/behind on my monthly blogging challenge - sorry about that! Crawfish Festival, what can I say!?!)


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