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The Arts Beat is a weekly deep-dive into Memphis arts, music, dance, theater, fashion, film and events. Keep scrolling for a roundup of the best arts and culture stories from the week. Have a story idea? Send it to eperry@dailymemphian.com.
 Fashion designer and textile artist Samilia Pelshak. (Elle Perry/The Daily Memphian)
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is honoring the legacy of Memphis College of Art both inside its walls and on its patio.
The exhibition “Memphis College of Art, 1936-2020: An Enduring Legacy” opened in February and will be on view at the Brooks Museum through September.
It features works from 90 alumni and faculty of MCA. The college closed in 2020.
The latest Summer Art Garden installation, the Brooks’ outdoor series, opened Thursday, March 26, and will be on view through Sept. 27.
Samilia Pelshak, a Memphis-based fashion designer, is the artist behind “Wax Print Wonderland.” She graduated from MCA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design in 2005. The Charlotte, North Carolina-native also studied environmental and graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design.
“It’s such a huge honor to be a part of this space in this way and at the same time that the MCA ‘Legacy' show is going on,” she said. “The school really shaped me in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to imagine. Coming here at a young age and even having the Brooks Museum right next door. This was like our backyard.”
One inspiration of “Wax Print Wonderland” is Pelshak’s Nigerian heritage and seeing colorful Ankara — African wax print — fabric.
“Growing up, I wanted to do my own versions of the prints and incorporate symbolisms that were uplifting and really communicated community coming together, so all of the prints in their own way speak to that,” Pelshak said. “How we are stronger when we are together as a community.”
 “Wax Print Wonderland” is on view at the Brooks Museum through September. (Elle Perry/The Daily Memphian)
Another “Wax Print Wonderland” inspiration was the 1951 animated Disney film “Alice in Wonderland.”
“It communicated to me that … it’s okay to be different and that it’s okay to think outside of the box,” she said.
Another message she took away was navigating an unfamiliar place and finding a team.
Also an “Wax Print Wonderland” inspiration, surrealism.
“An impact of my attending art school, I was really drawn to the dreamy qualities of surrealism, and I wanted to portray (it) through the toparies (in the installation) and through the whimsical nature of the abstract runway — red carpet — that’s on the facade,” she said.
 Close up of a wax print design by Samilia Pelshak. (Elle Perry/The Daily Memphian)
All three wax print designs are draped across the museum’s facade. Individually, the three designs adorn the patio umbrellas and planters.
 Close up of a wax print design by Samilia Pelshak. (Elle Perry/The Daily Memphian)
In the teal design, the circles symbolize strength, Pelshak said. They’re layered and overlapping to convey community working together. The stitching means “we are woven together.”
 Close up of a wax print design by Samilia Pelshak. (Elle Perry/The Daily Memphian)
In the yellow design, gourds are in groups of three; the number three symbolizes harmony. The groupings of gourds resemble a monkey’s face.
“In Nigerian culture, monkeys signify wisdom, also caution,” Pelshak said. “And the eyes are very prominent in that print. I’m encouraging the viewer to consider a new approach, to try something different and to focus on wisdom.
In the red design, braiding is featured.
“Hair braiding is a very prominent part of Nigerian culture and that community effort that goes into that,” Pelshak said. “The braids symbolize strength and working together.”
For all three designs, community, cohesion, strength, and working together are themes.
Museum staff became aware of Pelshak at last year’s Memphis Art & Fashion Week. She was one of the designers.
“Her use of bold, saturated patterns is just impossible to miss,” Kristin Pedrozo, Art Bridges Curatorial Fellow at the Brooks Museum, said.
“Wax Print Wonderland” will have accompanying programming during the installation’s run.
The opening reception coincided with the return of Women Who Spin, which features women and femme DJs. Brooks Museum docent DJ Brillianaire (Lola Johnson) curates the series.
“Lola brings in a real range of femme sounds,” said Emma Fleming, programs outreach manager. “The goal is to keep people on the plaza, dancing and connecting, and she knows how to build that kind of night.”
This year featured DJ Brillianaire, DJ Zetta and DJ Rosamii on the plaza.
Last year, DJ Dosie and DJ Rosamii performed in the rotunda; DJ Zetta performed in the Terrace; DJ LA performed in the Day Gallery on the third floor; and DJ Brillianaire performed in the Power and Absence Gallery. There was also art-making in the galleries.
“When we landed on Samilia as our Summer Art Garden artist, it clicked immediately,” Fleming said. “Her work is rooted in heritage, creativity, and community, and an evening honoring women creatives across fields felt like a natural extension of that. It’s also Women’s History Month, so the timing couldn’t be better.”
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In addition to the installation and DJs outdoors, there was a collage-making station with Memphis multimedia artist Patience Andrews and interactive networking via bingo cards with B-----Bopz.
 Lola Johnson aka DJ Brillianaire. (Elle Perry/The Daily Memphian)
“We wanted the evening to offer more than one way to participate,” Fleming said. “Some people want to dance, some want to make something with their hands, some want to meet other creatives over a drink and a conversation. … Memphis has an incredible creative community — we wanted to give it a place to gather.”
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