COIN Expands Across the Mid-South: From Memphis to a Tri-State Movement
The COIN program, Co-Op Opportunity for Inclusive Neighborhoods, has officially grown into a tri-state initiative, with participants from across Tennessee, Northern Mississippi, and as far as Kentucky joining the newest cohort.
Artist in Residence at the Center of Memphis’ Creative Future
Memphis’ creative economy is gaining new momentum through a powerful collaboration between Crosstown Arts and The Big We.
Memphis on the National Stage: Anasa Troutman Featured on PBS
On this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memphis and Historic Clayborn Temple took the national stage.
In This Place Returns: This is Memphis
Historic Clayborn Temple and The Big We announce the return of In This Place, the annual citywide season of culture, community, and capital that brings Memphians together through music, storytelling, learning, and shared cultural experience.
How The Big We is Reimagining Memphis’ National Treasure to Fuel Creativity, Culture, and Community Power
The Big We is leading a citywide effort to reimagine Historic Clayborn Temple as a center for culture, creativity, and community connection. Even after tragedy, the work continues to restore one of Memphis’ most important landmarks and build a future rooted in shared possibility.
Talibah Safiya Is Helping Creatives Reimagine What It Means to Thrive in Memphis
Talibah Safiya is helping reshape how Memphis creatives gather, connect, and thrive. Through her leadership and storytelling, she is building community, growing the Memphis Cultural Coalition, and helping artists see what’s possible together.
COIN Up Close: A Deeper Dive into Memphis’ New Co-Op Movement
COIN is opening the door to community ownership in Memphis. This deeper look explores the questions, ideas, and conversations emerging as residents come together through Historic Clayborn Temple to build cooperative businesses rooted in shared power and collective growth.
Nearly 200 Memphians Join Historic Clayborn Temple’s Growing Citywide Co-Op Movement
Nearly 200 Memphians came together to learn about cooperative ownership and building community-owned businesses through Historic Clayborn Temple’s COIN program. The strong turnout shows growing momentum for shared economic power and community-led opportunity across the city.
The Big We Brings Collective Joy to Handy Park with Community Sing
The Big We brought hundreds of Memphians together in Handy Park on 901 Day for a powerful Community Sing, using music to spark connection, joy, and collective healing. The gathering reminded the city of the power of showing up together through shared voice and culture.
National Foundations Commit $1.5 Million to Support Reimagining of Historic Clayborn Temple
Historic Clayborn Temple received a $1.5 million national commitment to support its restoration and reimagining as a center for culture, history, and community connection. The investment signals strong confidence in the future of one of Memphis’ most important landmarks.
In This Place Speaker Series: Dr. James Lawson & the Future of Memphis
Clayborn Temple hosted its fourth installment of the In This Place speaker series Friday, April 5. Local Memphians and guests from Louisiana, Texas and more engaged in conversation with Reverend Dr. James M. Lawson, Jr. about the future of our city.
In This Place Speaker Series: Dangerous Women
Clayborn Temple hosted its third installment of the In This Place speaker series last Monday, March 18. The Memphis community gathered at the historic space to discuss the history and future of fierce, dangerous women in Memphis who seek to inspire positive change.
TEDX Memphis: From Justice to Joy
Executive director at Clayborn Temple, Anasa Troutman, makes a powerful case for culture as a viable approach for social impact. Through the lens of a painful personal story, she asks us to go beyond the work for justice and dares us to cultivate a culture centered in radical love that creates sustainable joy for all. This talk features a young vocalist, Dnyla, from AngelStreet Memphis. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
In This Place Speaker Series: 200 Years of Race & Place
Last week, the Memphis community gathered at historic Clayborn Temple for the second event in the In This Place speaker series to discuss 200 years of race and place, in honor of our city’s bicentennial.
“Union: The Musical” event recap – Winston-Salem, NC
Friday, February 8, marked the first stop on the “Union: The Musical” national tour in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The production team loaded in at the Stevens Center at the North Carolina School of the Arts at 8 a.m. and began building the set. At 1 p.m., the band arrived for their sound check, and by 3:30, the team had started their tech rehearsal. When the doors opened at 7:30, 1,500 people flooded into the auditorium and filled every single seat.