In advance of today’s groundbreaking, Brooks raises $135M for Downtown museum
By Christin Yates, Special to the Daily Memphian
Updated: June 01, 2023 7:39 PM CT | Published: June 01, 2023 7:00 AM CT
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The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art has raised about $135 million for its new Downtown Memphis home, which it will break ground on today, June 1.
The funding represents about 75% of the museum’s goal for the campaign. In all, the fundraising goal for the new museum is $180 million.
“The astonishing thing about this campaign is that the first $100 million was raised without a rendering or a clear visual of what the new museum will look like,” said Zoe Kahr, executive director of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
The public phase of the campaign launched May 5, and since that time, the Brooks has raised $2 million. Kahr said the campaign is “huge” for the cultural sector of Memphis.
“I think there is a broad understanding that great cities have great art museums in their Downtown,” Kahr said. “Art museums are really important civic assets that bring us together and build us up as a community. The city is reinvesting in Downtown Memphis, and we need an art museum as an anchor.”
Paul Young, president of the Downtown Memphis Commission, said he looks forward to a “Downtown narrative that includes a world-class Brooks Museum of Art” to complement other cultural assets such as the National Civil Rights Museum, Beale Street, the Memphis Redbirds and the Memphis Grizzlies.
“The relocation of the Brooks to its new home in Downtown Memphis will be a game-changer for tourism and activation,” he said. “We believe the community-friendly design and programming will attract both residents and visitors and will make our Downtown story even more engaging.”
After the Brooks revealed its detailed plan to the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Design Review Board in March, some community members criticized the museum’s lack of windows on the west side of the building and said it wasn’t maximizing the Mississippi River views. However, Kahr noted that the design was intentional.
“Our primary goal, in addition to creating a fantastic civic space, is to display art,” she said. “Unfortunately, direct sunlight damages art. The west-facing façade, because we’re so lucky to have this big, wide river, has a lot of direct sunlight at sunset, so that side of the building has limited windows.”
The new Brooks Museum will have 50% more gallery space and 600% more art-filled public spaces than its previous Midtown location; it will include a rooftop and garden as well as a plaza that will be open to the public without a ticket during museum hours.
Kahr said that the building design is also very much about recreating the bluff, which was demolished by the previous parking garage on the site. The bottom of the new building will include a loading dock, storage and 150 parking spaces.
“Memphis needed a new art museum, and this museum will be transformative for the city and Downtown,” Kahr said.
The Brooks was founded in 1916 in Overton Park and is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. Its new location is scheduled to open in Downtown Memphis in late 2025.
