memphis shows up for itself.
IN THIS PLACE: MEMPHIS SEASON OF CULTURE, Capital, and Community
Every year, Memphis comes together for In This Place, a citywide season of culture, community, and capital powered by The Big We and rooted in the spirit of Historic Clayborn Temple and The Sanitation Workers’ Strike of 1968. In This Place brings Memphians into rooms across the city to sing, learn, heal, and imagine what this city can become when we show up for one another.
Our 2026 Season: This is Memphis
Across eight gatherings, In This Place 2026 brought together artists, cultural workers, organizers, educators, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, youth, and community members from every corner of Memphis. Nearly 900 Memphians came together across the season, supported by 20 community volunteers, in the strongest year of participation in the season's eight-year history.
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In This Place 2026 treated Memphis's culture as something living, not something to look back on. State of the Arts put the creative community's needs directly in front of the leaders shaping Memphis's next chapter. Story Circle: Memphis Music Edition carried that culture forward through the people who made it, gathering music icons and everyday Memphians at Stax Museum to trade stories behind Memphis's sound. Young, Gifted & Memphis gave the city's next generation of artists a real stage, and This Is Memphis closed the season by reflecting Memphis's culture back through fresh eyes, in a documentary built from what Artist in Residence Racheal Weathers witnessed moving through the city.
The message across all four: Memphis's culture is not a backdrop; it's the city's greatest asset, worth protecting and investing in.
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In This Place 2026 made the case that Memphis's culture is also Memphis's currency. Culture Shift 101 broke down how story and culture function as real economic and civic influence. Let's Get It... Together turned that idea into action, introducing Memphians to cooperative ownership and COIN, a free program at Historic Clayborn Temple that helps neighbors build businesses together. State of the Arts pushed Shelby County's future mayors to answer publicly for how they'll invest in Memphis's creative economy.
Together, these gatherings reframed capital as something Memphis builds collectively, giving Memphians real tools to build wealth from the culture they already create.
Your support helps transform this historic sanctuary into a vibrant stage where Memphis’ culture, talent, and imagination take center stage.
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In This Place 2026 kept returning to one idea: Memphis moves forward when its people show up for each other. Community Sing opened the season by inviting Memphians of every voice into one room to sing together, no solos, no pressure. Building Beloved carried that spirit into harder conversations, bringing faith, civic, and organizational leaders together to speak honestly about healing across sectors that rarely share a room. Story Circle and Let's Get It... Together extended that same connection across generations and neighborhoods.
Community in Memphis isn't passive; it's something Memphians actively build, one room at a time, and In This Place exists to keep giving them the space to do it.
Don’t miss out! View the full season’s recap on youtube.
Every gathering from In This Place 2026 has a full recap waiting on this playlist, from the season-opening Community Sing to the closing premiere of This Is Memphis. Watch to see Memphis show up for itself and think differently about culture, capital, and community, gathering by gathering. You can also watch every young artist's performance from Young, Gifted & Memphis in full here, so every one of Memphis's rising talents gets their moment to shine!
GET INVOLVED!
In This Place only happens because Memphis shows up for it, and there's a place for you in what comes next! Whether you want to volunteer at an event, sponsor a gathering, partner with us on programming, or support the work through a gift, your involvement helps build the next season of In This Place and the future of Historic Clayborn Temple. Tell us how you'd like to get involved, and our team will follow up with the right next step.