Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Kennedy
Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I came to Memphis originally to study at Rhodes College, where I earned a BA in Art History and actually got my start curating art shows. I put together a couple of art shows in my senior year and coordinated some public art projects on campus and in downtown Memphis. I later returned to Memphis in 2012 to work at Ballet Memphis, and concurrently ran an alternative gallery project called Southfork out of my two bedroom apartment for over 4 years. Southfork was a decidedly non-commercial endeavor but curating exhibitions and creating a community out of that space was deeply meaningful to me. In 2015, I became the Executive Director of the UrbanArt Commission where I helped to grow the organization’s visibility and impact creating public art projects throughout the city. Working alongside artists to help them meet new audiences and take on exciting opportunities, and most importantly pay them, has always been something that I care about very deeply.
Towards the end of my tenure at the UrbanArt Commission, I had the profound privilege to lead the public art program for the new Memphis International Airport which opened in February 2022. We were able to commission a number of large-scale projects throughout the new concourse and build an exciting permanent collection that highlights the incredible talent of this city. That project generated a lot of excitement and support for my work that ultimately led to Sheet Cake Gallery.
Sheet Cake is a contemporary art gallery in Memphis, TN focused on supporting artists based in and connected to the regional South. We intentionally celebrate women, queer artists, and artists of color. The gallery opened in December 2023 with a crowd that exceeded all of my expectations. I really want the gallery to help position Memphis and the South more visibly in national conversations about art, and for the artists making work in and of this place to be celebrated far and wide.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From the moment that I announced the news about starting Sheet Cake, Memphis has embraced this space with open arms and I will never be able to fully articulate how much that means to me. I’ve always found that this beautiful, weird city stays hungry for bold and exciting endeavors, and will show up and out to support. Sheet Cake could only exist in Memphis and I’m incredibly grateful to do this work here.
But let’s be real – opening an art gallery is equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. There have definitely been new learning curves going from my nonprofit background to running a small business, and opening a gallery during an economic retraction that has a number of galleries and small businesses closing across the country is not for the faint of heart. But I am fully leaning into all of the twists and turns, and cannot wait to see where all we go from here.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Over the last 15 years, I have worked in a number of different roles at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Art Fair, Ballet Memphis and the UrbanArt Commission. Regardless of my particular position, my sincere enthusiasm for contemporary art in all of its wild and wonderful forms and a commitment to supporting accessible experiences for audiences has always been front and center. Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas, the primary ways my family consumed culture were through books and movies. I found the art world on my own and appreciate how intimidating traditional art spaces like galleries and museums can be. I have always wanted to push against that so more people feel like they deserve to have these big, creative experiences without formal training or an understanding of art history and theory.
From the beginning, it has been incredibly important to me that Sheet Cake be as warm and welcoming as it can be, both for our artists and the folks coming in. We serve sheet cake at our openings, curate a shop within the gallery that offers limited edition prints and art objects at affordable prices, and are very transparent about pricing and payment plan options. Everybody deserves to have art in their homes that feeds them, and we are here to help them find that.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am a die hard Dolly Parton fan, which is not a surprise to folks who know me pretty well. When I was pregnant with my daughter, at least 27 people asked me if I was going to name her Dolly. I did get pretty close, however, when I named her Dovie after my grandmother.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sheetcakegallery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheetcakegallery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheetcakegallery
