ON A GOOD NOTE

THIRTY YEARS ACTIVE: AN INDEPENDENT MEMPHIS ARTIST MARKET

Members of the Memphis Arts Collective have often joked that they were a pop-up before pop-ups were a thing. The entrepreneurial spirit began in the early 90s when a group of artists started selling their handmade work in the lawn area next to the former Burke’s Books location at the corner of Evergreen and Poplar Ave.

This holiday season, the market will celebrate a 30-year-long unbroken chain of active independent holiday artist markets that started with a two-weekend show in 1993. Who could have foreseen that the member-based organization would become a well-established, month-long artist market with over 30 collective members and non-member vendors.

As an ongoing member-based organization the collective’s roots lie in the strength of the community. Members return that by showing support to the Memphis community. Every year the membership votes to support an organization with a two-weeklong art auction and a booth space at the holiday market for their community outreach. The charity chosen this year is Arkwings Foundation.

Arkwings is a non-profit located in a former family home on 17 acres of beautiful green space in the Frayser neighborhood of

Memphis. The group has a long history of serving Frayser and the surrounding areas by giving people a safe, welcoming place to explore the outdoors and express themselves through different art forms and wellness activities. These activities include creativity stations at The Art Yard, learning about planting and growing in the

Art+Garden, and showing and viewing art inside the house. For the 2022 holiday market, MAC is happy to return to the Poplar and Highland Street location (formerly Spin Street Records) at 3484 Poplar Ave. for the fourth consecutive year. This year the market’s opening night will once again include a reception with live music.

STORY BY JENNIFER HYATT AND ANGI COOPER

The market will run Nov. 25 through Dec. 24, Mon.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. and Sun 12-5 p.m. Special hours on Dec. 24 will be 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

To read the entirety of the 30-Year Artist Market History, visit the MAC website: www.memphisartscollective.com. To find out more about Arkwings Foundation go to www.facebook.com/arkwings/.