Kooky, crazy and eclectic: ‘Imagination runs wild’ at the Mary Sims exhibition
“Merlin” is a signature piece by artist Mary Sims on display at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Artist Mary Sims took an unusual photograph of Rodgers Menzies in 1978: with a cocked eyebrow and raised arm, he stood by a stone lion wearing a yellow caftan, purple cloak and cone-shaped hat made of newspaper.
They were outside a Union Avenue mansion that was later demolished — the lion statue and its identical counterpart are now at the Brooks Museum of Art — and Menzies, a friend and interior designer, was modeling for a painting she planned to do of Merlin the wizard.
She needed the photo for reference and had assured him that he wouldn’t be seen in the outfit, since it was a Sunday morning.
But it only took five minutes for a driver to stop, roll down his window and say, “Hey, Menzies, what the h--- are you doing up there?”
Still, he had no regrets.
Sims was too enthusiastic, imaginative and talented to turn down. It didn’t matter what her request was. When she had a vision, Menzies went along with it, trusting the result would be worth his effort.
It always was.
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John Klyce
John Klyce is an enterprise reporter with The Daily Memphian who writes a wide range of in-depth features, as well as profiles about local leaders, scientists, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone else doing exciting and important work in this city. He previously spent four years with the Memphis Business Journal, where he covered public companies, startups, and innovation, and a fifth year with The Commercial Appeal, where he covered education, and chronicled how gun violence and poverty were affecting Memphis youth and their families. He has also been a fellow with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. John has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Boston University.
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