Exhibitions
NAVIGATING KNOWLEDGE
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art / 1934 Poplar Ave. July 23, 2025 - October 31, 2026
Rashid Johnson, Joyce Kozloff, Harmonia Rosales, Ben Shahn, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith
This exhibition explores vessels and navigation as metaphors for the containment and transmission of knowledge. From religious doctrine and scientific theories to historical narratives and ancient philosophies, the works presented consider how ideas spread to the far reaches of the world through migration and other journeys. Diaspora–the movement of people away from an established or ancestral homeland–figures prominently in these works. Featured are paintings and sculpture by artists Rashid Johnson, Joyce Kozloff, Harmonia Rosales, Ben Shahn, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith from the 1960s through the present that boldly traverse global territories, both geographical and conceptual.
image: Harmonia Rosales, 'Migration of the Gods', 2021. Oil with iron oxide and 24 karat gold leaf on Belgian linen mounted on wood panel. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Blackmon Perry Endowment Fund, 2022.2
About Memphis Brooks Museum of Art:
Located at 1934 Poplar Avenue in historic Overton Park, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is one of the leading art museums in the American South. Over 10,000 works make up Memphis’ art collection at the museum, including ancient works from Greece, Rome, and the Ancient Americas; Renaissance masterpieces from Italy; English portraiture; American painting and decorative arts; contemporary art; and African Diasporic art. In 2026, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will open its new home and become Memphis Art Museum: a state-of-the-art, 122,000-square-foot facility at the heart of downtown Memphis. For more information on the current programming and future plans for Memphis’ art museum, call 901-544-6200 or visit brooksmuseum.org.
Press Contact: Kelly Helton, kelly.helton@brooksmuseum.org, 901-590-6935
