Our Mission
To create joy through the power of art.
Memphis Art Museum — formerly the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Tennessee's oldest and largest art museum — has served as the city's cultural and educational anchor since 1916. Its collection of nearly 10,000 works spans 5,000 years of global human history. The museum's mission has always been to make that collection accessible to everyone in Memphis.
In December 2026, the museum opens a new 123,500-square-foot campus on the Mississippi River Bluff — increasing gallery space by 50%, adding six times more publicly accessible spaces, and creating a civic gathering place available to all Memphians.
Access and Inclusion
Free public spaces throughout the campus, culture-centered Community Days open to all, and free drop-in programming in the education studios ensure that Memphis Art Museum brings joy to all Memphians through the power of art. The campus is fully ADA accessible, with a compliant route from Front Street to the Mississippi River — one of the only such routes in downtown Memphis.
Community and Education
The museum will host more than 400 events per year, serving as a platform for Memphis' diverse cultural voices and traditions. Programs including Art Builds Creativity, Art Therapy, school tours, homeschool days, and Super Saturdays serve more than 20,000 school-aged children annually — a number the new facility is designed to significantly increase.
Economic Impact
A third-party analysis projects $100 million in annual economic impact and $1.1 billion over the next decade. The museum is designed to strengthen downtown, drive cultural tourism, and support Memphis' growing creative economy.