Welcome back to The To-Do List, where Daily Memphian staffers suggest their favorite events and activities for the coming week.

This week, new art exhibitions feature work by Erin Harmon, Kong Wee Pang and Iwona Rhodes. Plus, Kevin Ford’s Tops Gallery show gets one last hurrah.

Marcella Simien at Germantown Performing Arts Center, Thursday:

Marcella Simien will play at The Grove at the Germantown Performing Arts Center on Thursday, May 9. (Mike Kerr/The Daily Memphian file) 

“Sometimes I feel like I’m in a dream up here.” That’s something Marcella Simien said during her opening set at the RiverBeat Music Festival last weekend, playing the festival’s smallest stage to a small crowd soon after the gates had opened. That’s what it often feels like to watch and listen to her perform, to watch her get wrapped up in the music and the song. Simien, whose Memphis-Louisiana swamp-soul hybrid is more idiosyncratic than even that novel description, is a treat on any stage, but she’ll be taking to a nice one this week as she performs outside again as part of GPAC’s Concert in the Grove series. Gates 5:30 p.m., showtime 6:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $5, free for kids 18 and under. 1801 Exeter Road, Germantown. See here for more info. — Chris Herrington

‘Truck Turner’ at Crosstown Theater, Thursday:

Crosstown Arts will sceen “Truck Turner” on Thursday, May 9. (Courtesy Crosstown Arts)

The movie most associated with Isaac Hayes is surely “Shaft,” where Hayes famously won an Oscar for his theme song. But you can only hear Hayes in “Shaft”; you can’t see him. His biggest role as an actor instead came in this 1974, so-called blaxploitation-action flick, where Hayes plays the title character, a former pro football player-turned-bounty hunter who finds himself being hunted by a pimp (Yaphet Kotto). It was originally released by the B-movie studio American International Pictures as a double-feature alongside the now more well-known Pam Grier vehicle “Foxy Brown.” The Stax Museum and Crosstown Arts co-present this screening. 7 p.m. $5. 1350 Concourse Ave. See here for more info. — Herrington

‘Seaside and Beyond’ opening at ANF Architects, Friday:

Now based in Memphis, artist Iwona Rhodes is from northern Poland and her coastal Baltic Sea upbringing influences her work. This show features acrylic and mixed-media blue paintings. Her use of blue symbolizes longing for home, both physically and metaphorically. Refreshments will be provided. 5-7 p.m. Free. 1500 Union Ave. Click here for more information. — Elle Perry

‘The Real and The Imagined’ opening reception at Sheet Cake Gallery, Friday:

“Spur of the Moment” by Kong Wee Pang, watercolor on unprimed canvas, 2024. Pang’s work and that of Erin Harmon will be on view at Sheet Cake, beginning Friday, May 10. (Kong Wee Pang/Courtesy Sheet Cake)

Sheet Cake’s latest exhibition features the work of Erin Harmon and Kong Wee Pang. Both Memphis-based artists feature the world through the lens of fantastical environments and creatures. Harmon works with painting and sculpture, using scale, dimensions and layers. Pang works with watercolor, using abstraction and transmutation. Harmon, who is from Southern California, is the James F. Ruffin Chair of Art at Rhodes College. Harmon earned a BA in studio art from San Diego State University and an MFA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design. Pang, who is from Malaysia, graduated from the Singapore Nanyang Academy of Fine Art and earned a BA in fine art and design and an MFA from the Memphis College of Art. 5-7:30 p.m. Free. 405 Monroe Ave. Click here for more information.— Elle Perry

‘Spring for Forrest’ Cocktail Party and Auction at FedEx Event Center, Friday:

The “Spring for Forrest” fundraiser will be held at the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms on Friday, May 10. (Courtesy Forrest Spence Fund)

This event benefiting the Forrest Spence Fund will have live music and food, wine, beer and seltzers from Wiseacre Brewing Company. Here’s what’s on the menu: southwestern egg rolls, shrimp-scampi sticks, garden salad and sweet-and-spicy meatballs. (See a more comprehensive menu in our May food event guide.) Josh Threlkeld will perform live music. There will also be a silent auction featuring 85 items and a live auction featuring 10 items, including a Caribbean trip. The Forrest Spence Fund helps families who have sick children pay for their nonmedical needs. 6:30-11 p.m. $75. 415 Great View Drive E. Click here for tickets. — Nick Lingerfelt

‘Constellations’ at TheatreSouth at First Congregational Church, Friday:

Quark Theatre closes their season with “Constellations.” “It’s very funny and sweet. Some of it is kind of tragic, but it ends on a very hopeful and positive note,” said director Tony Isbell. The play by British playwright Nick Payne explores the relationship between a man and a woman and follows various possible paths their relationship could take, illustrating the multiverse theory where every choice creates a new universe. You can read more about it in our May theater round-up. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays from May 10-26. 1000 Cooper St. Click here for more information and tickets. — Alys Drake

‘The Hot Wing King’ at Circuit Playhouse, opening Friday:

Justin Allen Tate, left, Trey Oliver and Claiborne “CJ” Thomas Jr. star in "The Hot WIng King" at Circuit Playhouse. (Courtesy Circuit Playhouse)

Set in Memphis, “The Hot Wing King” is a comedy-drama play that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This will be the regional premiere for the production by Memphis native Katori Hall, the creator of “P-Valley” and a two-time Tony Award nominee for her work on “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.” The show follows Cordell, his boyfriend and their friends as they prepare to enter the annual Hot Wang Festival. “The Hot Wing King” premiered off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre on Feb. 11, 2020, and had a limited run due to the pandemic. You can read more about it in our May theater round-up. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays from May 10-19. 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays from May 23-June 2. 51 S. Cooper St. Click here for more information and tickets. — Drake

‘Here Comes the Sun’ Community Day at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Saturday:

The Dixon Gallery & Gardens will host a sun-themed family day on Saturday, May 11. (Courtesy Dixon)

Summer is coming. And depending on how you feel about Memphis heat, that’s either a good thing or a bad thing. But either way, summer is inevitable, so let’s just all lean in. The Dixon is doing that this weekend with a free, family-friendly community day celebrating the sun. The event features live music by Jeff Hulett and the Turnstyles, plus solar-celebration activities, like seed planting, suncatcher-making and a workshop on the science of sunscreen. Plus, you can enjoy sun-themed snacks and take home free seeds. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. 4339 Park Ave. Click here for more information. — Bianca Phillips

Art For All Festival at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Saturday:

This free fest, hosted by Shelby County government, celebrates the countywide art scene with musical and theatrical performances by local artists and acting troupes (among them are Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, Iris Collective and Memphis Black Arts Alliance), a pop-up art gallery from UrbanArt Commission, a traveling exhibit from Clayborn Temple, art-making stations and family-friendly activities, like bubbles and balloon art. Food trucks will be on-site. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. 1934 Poplar Ave. Click here for more information. — Phillips

Comedy on Beale in Handy Park, Saturday:

Need a good belly laugh? Check out local comedian Christopher Ingram and a lineup of comics at Handy Park Downtown for “Comedy on Beale,” hosted by Jayson Foley. The show is family-friendly, and there will also be live music to enjoy. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs, and pro tip: Don’t forget the bug spray! 2-6 p.m. Free. 200 Beale St. Click here for more information. — Kelsey Bowen

Spring Fling: Afrobeats and Island Rhythms at The Ravine, Saturday:

David Quarles IV and others will teach zumba classes during “Spring Fling: Afrobeats and Island Rhythms” at The Ravine on Saturday, May 11. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

The Memphis Medical District Collaborative is bringing back interior designer/jewelry designer/Zumba instructor (and possibly the best dressed man in Memphis) David Quarles IV for a Zumba in the Park session alongside instructors Catherine Marte and Michelle Primiano. The event also includes (more) dancing, healthy vendors and music, courtesy of DJ Sledro. Registration is required and space is limited so grab your spot today. 5 p.m. doors, 5:30 p.m. dancing. $10 advance; $20 at the door. 571 Marshall Ave. — Elle Perry

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Dance Floor at Black Lodge, Sunday:

“Sue: The T. Rex Experience” closes at the Museum of Science and History on Sunday, May 12. (Courtesy MoSH)

“Sue: The T. Rex Experience,” the Museum of Science and History’s immersive traveling dino exhibit, is closing on Sunday. So, MoSH is teaming up with Black Lodge for a closing party they say is “165 million years in the making.” Expect a DJ, dancing, dino-themed drinks, photo opps and more. 7-9 p.m. for all ages, and 9 p.m.-midnight for 18 and up only. The party is free to MoSH members and Black Lodge Ultimate members, $10 for those 18 and up, $5 or kids ages 6-17 and free for kids under 5. 405 N. Cleveland St. Click here for more information. — Phillips

“Ids of March” closing reception at Tops Gallery, Sunday:

Kevin Ford’s fourth exhibition, “Ids of March” (yes, that’s how it’s spelled), spans both of Tops’ Downtown gallery spaces. The Front Street gallery includes two large paintings and a floor-to-ceiling arrangement of smaller works. The Madison Avenue Park gallery includes two large side-by-side paintings: “Butt I” and “Butt II.” Ford’s paintings explore perception and distinguishing what is real versus what people actually observe. Here’s how to get there: Tops Gallery’s larger gallery is on the basement level of the building that houses Jack Robinson Gallery. (The entrance is on Huling Street, and you’ll walk down a set of stairs and all the way to the back to the illuminated, cave-like gallery.) Tops’ Madison Avenue Park space is located across from Brass Door Irish Pub on Madison Avenue and is viewable on Maggie H. Isabel Street. 5-7 p.m. Free. 400 S. Front St. and 151 Madison Ave. Click here for more information. — Elle Perry

Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Liberty Park, starts Wednesday:

The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest starts on Wednesday, May 15 at Liberty Park. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)

The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is back for the 46th year. This year, nearly 130 teams from 22 states and four countries will compete for more than $150,000 in prize money in pork categories of ribs, shoulders and whole hog as well as the ancillary competitions of hot wings, sauce and “Anything But Pork.” The $15 single-day ticket gets you access to the park, entertainment and some food vendors. You’ll need to know someone on a team to sample the competition barbecue, but there are some limited add-on ticket options for eating barbecue. The live music lineup features Marcy Playground, Ingram Hill and DJ Mic-Tee. Read more about what’s new this year, where to park and more in our Battle of the Barbecue newsletter. Opens Wednesday and runs through Saturday. Click here for tickets. — Nick Lingerfelt

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