Visitors to Graceland this year will be treated to an extraordinary new exhibit about Elvis’s life in Memphis, featuring several mural-size Don Newman photographs taken in the late 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and displayed with Elvis artifacts from the Graceland Archives. The “Elvis Presley’s Memphis” exhibit is located in the Sincerely Elvis Museum in the visitor center complex across the street from Graceland Mansion. The exhibit, which will be in place for one year, explores Elvis Presley’s ties to the city he loved and called home, and was mounted with the support of Memphis Heritage, a local historical organization.
The new exhibit includes a downtown Goldsmith’s department store display featuring a Newman photo of the Main Street landmark from the days when Elvis shopped at the city’s finest store. Items in that display include a record cabinet, a phone lamp and a black circular chair with leopard print seat cushion - all purchased by Elvis at the downtown Goldsmith’s – plus samples from Elvis’s personal record collection.
The exhibit follows the life of Elvis in Memphis through other displays such as The Claridge Hotel, Lansky Bros., Mid-South Coliseum, Lowenstein’s and the Sears superstore on Cleveland. The Britling’s Cafeteria display is dedicated to Elvis’s mother Gladys, who once worked at the local restaurant, and offers a rare look at some of her personal effects and the Presley’s 1953 tax return.
The exhibit was made possible with the help of Memphis Heritage. The organization’s annual fundraising Memphis Heritage calendar is sponsored entirely by Elvis Presley Enterprises, and is a unique 18-month edition featuring Newman photographs of Memphis as they relate to Elvis and the Memphis he knew. The content is supplemented by anecdotes and images of artifacts and documents from the Graceland Archives. The calendar is available on www.memphisheritage.org and in Graceland stores and elsewhere in the city.
New Historical Exhibit On Elvis's LifeIin Memphis
March 03, 2005 | Other Source:EPE - Elvis Presley EnterprisesRelated links
SendToTodd wrote on
March 04, 2005
These Don Newman photographs are going to add nothing to the Graceland experience. EPE should realise that Elvis' home is not a museum, nor art gallery. It is a "happening" and should be fun, vibrant, pro-active, and exciting. The Graceland executives are so far up themselves that they want to be arty-farty, and elevate Elvis' image to that of a pseudo art form to compete with the snobbish elite who dominate Tennessee Society.
EPE have their own archive - an ELVIS PRESLEY archive. That's what we want to see, not some faded pictures of Memphis. Bore people to death with them at Mud Island, and make Graceland "spin". This kind of press release from EPE makes me want to puke. Todd Slaughter
EPE wrote on
March 04, 2005
The exhibit is of ELVIS artifacts and photos from our archive. The theme of the exhibit is a look at ELVIS's life as it relates to his hometown. The Don Newman photographs serve as a beautiful backdrop to each of the ELVIS displays, showing the locations in Memphis that relate to the ELVIS artifacts. This gives greater historical context to the displays and gives people a sense of what the Memphis Elvis knew and loved was like.
The exhibit is in our little Sincerely Elvis museum
across the street from Graceland in the visitor center. That space is used for thematic exhibits that change from year to year, taking a topic in Elvis's life or career and giving it special focus. All of our regular exhibits at the mansion, which cover Elvis's life and career in full scope, are in place as always.