News

To our friends and supporters,

We thank you for your patience as we have remained open these two days in order to wind down scheduled activities between now and the end of May.  In just two short days, our staff has worked incredibly hard at winding down operations affecting over 11,000 people who had scheduled visits through May.  For the few of you we have been unable to reach, we are continuing to reach out.

At this time, we are closing our museum facilities to the general public indefinitely. This includes all of our facilities – Mallory Neely and Magevney Houses, Lichterman Nature Center and the operations at the Pink Palace Central Avenue facility.

We plan to roll out online services next week in order to continue to engage with you.  We have an initial set of items for next week, and plans are in the works to continue to create online environments to share our history.  Please check our website and social media outlets for more information.

Thank you again for your support.  Your kind words of support are much needed and appreciated by all here.

Sincerely,

Kevin Thompson

Executive Director

Pink Palace Family of Museums

For more than a century, basketball at what is now the University of Memphis has in many ways mirrored the struggles and successes of the city of Memphis itself. Sometimes for better or for worse, Tiger Hoops tells a story about Memphis.

Tiger Hoops is a story of striving for success, struggling from self-inflicted wounds and battling racial divide. It is also an inspiring story of racial unity and civic pride.

The University of Memphis men’s and women’s basketball teams have been a vehicle for relevance and respect for Memphis since the school’s founding as West Tennessee Normal School in 1912 to its evolution to Memphis State University in 1957 and later to the University of Memphis in 1994.

From the days of legendary coach Zach Curlin to the 1928 women’s team winning the initial tournament of the Mississippi Valley Conference to the glory days of Larry Finch, Ronnie Robinson and Gene Bartow to the unforgettable era of Penny Hardaway, Memphis basketball has often times been the glue that has held this diverse city together.  It has been a source of interracial unity that helped Memphis heal from the scars of the Sanitation Strike and King assassination.

The exhibit features eclectic memorabilia, photos and artifacts from Tiger fans, former players and coaches.

Tiger Hoops is a story rich in history both on the court and off. Whether you’re a Memphis Tiger fan or not, you’ll find this exhibit enlightening and inspiring.

Race to the End of the Earth exhibit highlights epic race to the South Pole

The Pink Palace Museum is excited to announce the opening of its new Race to the End of the Earth exhibit opening February 8th.

Race to the End of the Earth follows the footsteps of two legendary explorers in one of the most stirring tales in the annals of Antarctic exploration, the contest to reach the South Pole.

The hands-on, interactive  exhibit focuses on the challenges that the two legendary explorers —Roald Amundsen on the Norwegian side and Robert Falcon Scott on the British—faced as they undertook their separate 1,800-mile journeys from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf to the South Pole and back.

Dioramas, Photos, Paintings, Artifacts and more provide a rare look at the race to the South Pole. Highlights include clothing and equipment used by both crews during their journeys, life-sized models of portions of their base camps and a diorama featuring the largest penguin species alive today — the Emperor Penguin.

Hands-on activities help visitors of all ages understand what it would have been like to travel to the coldest place on Earth 100 years ago, as well as what it is like to conduct research there today. Visitors can choose a character card featuring a member of one of the expeditionary teams and, while moving through the exhibit, find clues about the character's experiences on the way to the South Pole. With the aid of touch-screen exhibits, visitors can explore photographs, drawings, and documents relating to the expeditions and the men who went south with Scott and Amundsen.

Come discover the full journey and see the expedition play out at the Pink Palace Museum. Race to the End of the Earth opens on February 8, 2020.

The Pink Palace Family of Museums is proud to announce Crew Training International (CTI) Flight Training School located in Millington, Tennessee, has renewed their naming sponsorship of the Museum’s CTI Giant Screen Theater.  CTI has been the naming sponsor of the Theater since 2004.

“Crew Training International, Inc. (CTI) recently extended our sponsorship of the CTI Giant Screen Theater at the Pink Palace for an additional three years. Training and education is CTI’s mission, particularly at our Flight Training Academy on Millington-Memphis Airport. The Pink Palace shares that commitment, so we’re excited to continue this partnership,” said Alan L. Mullen, CTI President and CEO.

In addition to being a prolific supporter the Pink Palace Family of Museums, CTI has been an integral part of helping the University of Memphis establish a top notch flight school program. The CTI Flight School entered into a partnership with the University of Memphis in 2018 to offer a Bachelor of Science in Commercial Aviation.

For over 26 years, CTI has been providing exceptional instructional and learning services to the United States Air Force, United States Navy and Marine Corps.  CTI’s reach extends to 79 locations across the US through over 28 different military and civilian contracts. 

The CTI Giant Screen Theater offers state-of-the-art 3D documentaries as well as classic Hollywood movies.  A schedule of movies can be found at www.MemphisMuseums.org.

Storyboard Memphis podcast listeners enjoyed a behind-the-scenes Pink Palace tour with museum curators Caroline Carrico and Steve Masler, as they reminisced over their efforts in the 4-year+ mansion renovations and talked about the current slate of Pink Palace exhibits. 

Click here for podcast https://storyboardmemphis.com/storyboard-30-podcast/sb-30-episode-15-talking-pink-palace-restoration-with-curators-caroline-carrico-steve-masler/

Do you have a favorite Tiger basketball t-shirt from the past 100 years? Do you have a great story to go along with that t-shirt? These are questions the Pink Palace Museum is asking Memphis Tiger basketball fans. The Pink Palace Museum will be featuring fan t-shirts in the Pink Palace’s upcoming Tiger Hoops: 100 Years of Memphis Basketball exhibit to be on display March 7 to October 4, 2020.

The Museum is asking Memphis Tiger basketball fans to bring their favorite Tiger basketball t-shirt to the Museum on Sunday, July 28 from noon to 4 pm for Tiger Hoops Community Involvement Day. A free general admission pass will be given to those who bring in a Memphis Tiger basketball t-shirt. One free general admission pass per person.

Not all fan t-shirts will be displayed in the museum exhibit, yet images of every t-shirt submitted will appear online on the exhibit’s website. T-shirts that do go on display will be on loan to the museum from July 28, 2019 until October 9, 2020.

For more information, contact the Pink Palace’s Collections Developer, Jestein Gibson at (901) 636-2327 or jestein.gibson [at] memphistn [dot] gov.

The Mallory-Neely and Woodruff-Fontaine Houses announce the opening a one-of-a-kind exhibit of exquisite wedding gowns from the 1830s to the 1960s. The Wedding Belles on Millionaire’s Row exhibit opened June 7, 2019.

Dozens of exquisite wedding gowns spanning from the 1830s-1960s will be on display at both Houses. The Mallory-Neely House will have floral decorations inspired by the Neely daughters’ Victorian-era weddings held in the house.

“The gowns are incredible! Most of the gowns are in remarkably good condition, especially the 19th century pieces. Many of the dresses were worn by Memphis brides,” said Holly Jansen, Mallory-Neely House Manager.

The Mallory-Neely House exhibit is on display all summer long. The Woodruff-Fontaine House exhibit is open for the month of June. For more information about the exhibit, call 901-523-1484 or e-mail Holly Jansen at holly.jansen [at] memphistn [dot] gov

The Pink Palace Family of Museums is proud to announce two recently awarded program grants from The International Paper Foundation. Both programs provide no-cost admission for students attending Title 1 schools in Tennessee.  A $25,000 grant will fund environmental education programs at Lichterman Nature Center, including the Animals Alive! program which introduces students to animals native to the Mid-South. The grants sponsor admission for field trips for nearly 4,000 Shelby County K-12 students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience these programs.

The second grant of $25,000 supports the Pink Palace Museum Education Department’s Discovery Days program, which are activities and demonstrations centered around the exhibits. Discovery Days 2019 focuses on Memorable Memphians in the Bicentennial exhibit, Making Memphis:  200 Years of Community. In the spring semester, the program will support activities in the upcoming exhibit on Antarctic exploration, Race to the End of the Earth.  International Paper has supported educational programming at the Pink Palace since 1998.

After nearly two years of renovation and construction, the highly anticipated re-opening of the Pink Palace Mansion will be taking place December 8th. The re-opening will be the premiere of the Mansion’s new and refurbished exhibits including a totally reconstructed original Piggly Wiggly Store replica and Country Store, along with a restored Clyde Parke Miniature Circus.

The Pink Palace Museum will be overflowing with the best Memphis has to offer in wine, food, and fun at the 4th Annual Science of Wine October 12, 2018 from 6:30 - 9:30 pm.