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Description
Join us for the Black Art Collective’s First Edition, an elevated dinner celebrating the opening of David Uzochukwu’s exhibition and debuting the accompanying catalogue.
Join David Uzochukwu, the First Edition Host Committee, and guest curator Efe Igor Coleman for a dinner celebrating the debut of David Uzochukwu: Bodies of Water and the Black Art Collective, whose philanthropy helps bring exhibitions like this to life. This is a chance to be part of the early support that can shape an artist’s career and champion bold new work in Memphis. The evening includes dinner by Chef D.Arthur, and VIP guests will enjoy a cocktail with the artist and curator inside the exhibition itself.
Join the Black Art Collective to support bold new artists and access special ticket pricing for FIRST EDITION. Already a member? Log in now to unlock Black Art Collective ticket levels.
Dinner: $200
Member: $150
VIP: $300
Member VIP: $250
FIRST EDITION is hosted by:
Trevia Chatman, Erica and Reginald Coopwood, Linda and Glen Rosser, Gloria and Kenneth Boyland, Chiquilla and Eric Brown, Nelda and Tyrone Burroughs, Sharon and Jeff Devine Harris, and Valerie and Carl Person
David Uzochukwu: Bodies of Water opens this June—the artist's first solo museum exhibition, offering a poetic meditation on identity, migration, and belonging.
Uzochukwu presents hybrid beings—part human, part animal—who inhabit surreal, dreamlike landscapes. Adorned with fins, scales, and other features, these figures are equipped to thrive in challenging waters. The resulting images evoke the adaptability and resilience of diasporic communities navigating environments often marked by hostility and exclusion. Within these imagined worlds, Blackness resists simple definition: it is fluid, shifting, and vibrantly alive.
In lieu of a traditional opening party, we're doing something special to honor the Black Art Collective.The Black Art Collective is a philanthropic group committed to centering Black art at Memphis’ art museum, and this evening is both an introduction to that work and a way to support its continued impact. Guests will enjoy a remarkable night of community and conversation, plus a first look at the exhibition with the artist and guest curator Efe Igor Coleman. VIP and Sponsor guests are invited to begin with a champagne toast in the exhibition before dinner.
About the Black Art Collective
The Black Art Collective is a philanthropic community dedicated to ensuring Black artists and stories are championed at Memphis’ art museum.
Locally, members’ collective giving strengthens the museum’s collection, powers exhibitions, and brings forward programs that center Black voices. Beyond Memphis, the Black Art Collective helps shape the global narrative of contemporary art by championing emerging artists with premier museum exhibitions and their first scholarly catalogues. If you're interested in joining the Black Art Collective and supporting our mission, please follow this link to learn more.
Date & Time
Wed, Jun 10, 2026 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue Details
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
1934 Poplar AvenueMemphis, Tennessee 38104
