- Open to the public only on Sunday, February 22, 2009 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Prices at the door: $20 dollars for 15 year-olds and older, $10 for children ages 10 – 14, and free admission for children under the age of nine
- Extra donations are encouraged to benefit Youth Villages
Local restaurants, along with hundreds of volunteers, packed the FedExForum Sunday to serve crowds at the 15th Annual Soup Sunday event benefiting Memphis’ Youth Villages.
More than 2,000 people supported Youth Villages by purchasing a $20 fundraising ticket to sample a variety of soups, bisques, chowders and dessert from 40 restaurants. For some visitors it wasn’t about the food but the cause.
“I have come to this event five years in a row, and each year I find myself thinking how wonderful it is to be part of such a great cause,” said Marlene Richards, 25, a senior law major at The University of Memphis. “Helping the struggling youths is greatly needed in Memphis, and this event draws many to be aware of that.”
Youth Villages is a local nonprofit organization that aides more than 12,000 struggling children and their families each year. These aides include mentoring, adopting, residential treatment and a safe-haven for runaway or homeless teens.
Peter Abell, 30, the development manager of Youth Villages, has always appreciated the public participation and support. He expects this year to raise $70,000 with the money donated and collected at the entrance.
“This is our biggest event and the donations from this will help carry out programs that aren’t government funded,” said Abell. “It will finance spiritual and mentoring programs, as well as a transitional living program for troubled teens.”
Abell recognizes the restaurants and volunteers for being the ones who have made the event possible and successful over the years. Besides the cause, he mentions that a big reason for people returning to support the event is because of the restaurants hot soups, chilling desserts, and caring support from the volunteers.
Thanks to restaurants the people were able to settle their hunger with as much soup and dessert sampling they could handle. For those serving food, it was something else that made them want to come back. It was the smiles for Peter Bonilla, 19, a student at The University of Memphis and part-time server at The Melting Pot.
“I have attended Soup Sunday years before but it is way better on the serving side because I get to see the happiness on the faces of the people being catered too,” said Bonilla. “I don’t know if they’re happy because we’re serving chocolate-covered bananas, but from kid to adult there have been nothing but smiles. I’ll be back next year.”
In addition to the continual service of food, visitors enjoyed entertainment provided by the Memphis Doctors Dance Band. Also, one section allowed parents to let their kids roam wild in a children’s area with a number of featured games, moon bounces, a magician and even Oreo-stacking contests.
“The point of the event is for everyone to have fun,” Abell said with a huge smile. “It is important, though, that we don’t forget the seriousness behind the event and that is to lend as many helping hands to kids in need because they are the future in this city.”
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Hicks’ art: Life portrayed with twists
- Gallery hours: M-F 8:30-5 p.m.; Sat 9:00-4 p.m.; Sun 12:00-4 p.m.
- Reception: Friday, Feb. 20, 6-8 p.m.
- For more information call 901-272-5100 or visit http://www.mca.edu/
“A Class of Hicks” art exhibit featuring different artists inspired and taught by Bill Hicks, a former Memphis Central High School art professor during the 1990s, was presented in the main upper and lower lobby of Rust Hall at the Memphis College of Arts.
Through Feb. 16-27, the public was allowed to view various paintings, jewelry and warped metal objects that brought success to Hicks and his students. Many of Hicks’ students achieved professional status later in life and are still able to draw people’s attention to their inspired works.
One of those works of art was Roger Cleaves’ 2008 “Spoiled Ass Brawts,” an ink on paper portrait. The bizarre human-like creatures wore Viking helmets with faces shaped like crescent-moons. They had limbs growing from unusual places on their body. The females flaunt large breast which arouses one male in the portrait.
“They all look like spawns of incest, being all deformed,” said Douglas Lloyd, 23, a senior art major at The University of Memphis. “They seem to be following one another. Maybe it portrays us as imperfect machines of society, all physically different but emotionally similar.”
A group of chattering people crowded Derek Forjour’s 1992 “Self Portrait,” an acrylic painting located at the opposite wall and almost same position. This was not an average self portrait, the artist added delightful colors that created more liveliness to him in the picture.
“At first glance, the facial features are shadowy and vague on the African-American male,” said Trey Hensley, 21, a junior art major at the Memphis College of Art. “Past the black and brown are more colorful shades expressed on his face like green, blue, yellow, red and pink. The colors add life to the painting.”
“Self Portrait” and “Spoiled Ass Brawts” are examples of the type of painting that were on hand at this exhibit. They all conveyed reality with twists of fantasy.
The big twist was Thomas Williams’ 2008 “Durian” that took the viewer and listener on a ride through a cyber tunnel synchronized with techno music. New to the collection, it was a point of interest for people to form a waiting line. People took turns listening to the headphones and facing the screen that mesmerized the person through a visual techno spiral twist.
“The digital art is new age and is more interesting than any painting,” said Megan Young, 24, a freshman English major at The University of Memphis. “It draws me in with the movement and the music, unlike having to stare at the paintings and wonder what they mean.”
Many spectators seemed to enjoy the art but for Brian Walker, 26, a senior biology major at The University of Memphis, it was bland. He only found one painting worth his positive praise.
The exceptional painting for Walker was “Bed Study” 2003, a canvas oil painting by Benin Ford. The life-like painting was 4-feet tall and 3-feet wide. Gazing at the painting, it seemed 3-D. The man sleeping in the bed protruded from the portrait. The man sleeps on the left side of the twin-size bed, and his false-teeth lay at his right hip as if placed an arm-lengths away.
“I enjoy art very much and attend plenty of exhibits. I don’t care for any of these paintings and their weirdness but “Bed Study” is normal. This painting reminds me of my grandparents and brings me happiness,” said Walker. “It makes me laugh too because my grandfather would take his false teeth out to show me before he went to sleep. Other than that I don’t think I’ll recommend this exhibit to a friend.”
- Reception: Friday, Feb. 20, 6-8 p.m.
- For more information call 901-272-5100 or visit http://www.mca.edu/
“A Class of Hicks” art exhibit featuring different artists inspired and taught by Bill Hicks, a former Memphis Central High School art professor during the 1990s, was presented in the main upper and lower lobby of Rust Hall at the Memphis College of Arts.
Through Feb. 16-27, the public was allowed to view various paintings, jewelry and warped metal objects that brought success to Hicks and his students. Many of Hicks’ students achieved professional status later in life and are still able to draw people’s attention to their inspired works.
One of those works of art was Roger Cleaves’ 2008 “Spoiled Ass Brawts,” an ink on paper portrait. The bizarre human-like creatures wore Viking helmets with faces shaped like crescent-moons. They had limbs growing from unusual places on their body. The females flaunt large breast which arouses one male in the portrait.
“They all look like spawns of incest, being all deformed,” said Douglas Lloyd, 23, a senior art major at The University of Memphis. “They seem to be following one another. Maybe it portrays us as imperfect machines of society, all physically different but emotionally similar.”
A group of chattering people crowded Derek Forjour’s 1992 “Self Portrait,” an acrylic painting located at the opposite wall and almost same position. This was not an average self portrait, the artist added delightful colors that created more liveliness to him in the picture.
“At first glance, the facial features are shadowy and vague on the African-American male,” said Trey Hensley, 21, a junior art major at the Memphis College of Art. “Past the black and brown are more colorful shades expressed on his face like green, blue, yellow, red and pink. The colors add life to the painting.”
“Self Portrait” and “Spoiled Ass Brawts” are examples of the type of painting that were on hand at this exhibit. They all conveyed reality with twists of fantasy.
The big twist was Thomas Williams’ 2008 “Durian” that took the viewer and listener on a ride through a cyber tunnel synchronized with techno music. New to the collection, it was a point of interest for people to form a waiting line. People took turns listening to the headphones and facing the screen that mesmerized the person through a visual techno spiral twist.
“The digital art is new age and is more interesting than any painting,” said Megan Young, 24, a freshman English major at The University of Memphis. “It draws me in with the movement and the music, unlike having to stare at the paintings and wonder what they mean.”
Many spectators seemed to enjoy the art but for Brian Walker, 26, a senior biology major at The University of Memphis, it was bland. He only found one painting worth his positive praise.
The exceptional painting for Walker was “Bed Study” 2003, a canvas oil painting by Benin Ford. The life-like painting was 4-feet tall and 3-feet wide. Gazing at the painting, it seemed 3-D. The man sleeping in the bed protruded from the portrait. The man sleeps on the left side of the twin-size bed, and his false-teeth lay at his right hip as if placed an arm-lengths away.
“I enjoy art very much and attend plenty of exhibits. I don’t care for any of these paintings and their weirdness but “Bed Study” is normal. This painting reminds me of my grandparents and brings me happiness,” said Walker. “It makes me laugh too because my grandfather would take his false teeth out to show me before he went to sleep. Other than that I don’t think I’ll recommend this exhibit to a friend.”
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