Is parking free or do I have to pay?
Parking is free. Parking is available in front of the museum and along the roads within Overton Park. A street-level public parking lot behind the museum and next to the Overton Park golf course is also available.
Handicap spaces are located in front of the museum's plaza, near the main entrance. Free valet parking is provided only during selected events.
Are there bike racks?
Yes, the bike racks are located on the plaza at the main entrance of the museum. Visitors who ride their bikes to the museum receive $1 admission discount.
When is the museum open?
Wednesday 10 am – 8 pm
Thursday 10 am – 4 pm
Friday 10 am – 4 pm
Saturday 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 11 am – 5 pm
The museum is closed Mondays, Tuesdays, New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Are baby strollers permitted in the museum?
Yes.
How do I get to the museum by bus?
The Brooks Museum is located at 1934 Poplar Avenue in Overton Park, which is just off Poplar Avenue, west of East Parkway, south of North Parkway, and adjacent to the Memphis Zoo. For more directions by phone please call 901.544.6200.
Visitors can access the museum off MATA bus Route 50 Poplar. See all MATA routes and schedules.
How do I get to the museum by car?
The Brooks Museum is located at 1934 Poplar Avenue in Overton Park, which is just off Poplar Avenue, west of East Parkway, south of North Parkway, and adjacent to the Memphis Zoo. For more directions by phone please call 901.544.6200.
Traveling I-40 Eastbound - Take exit 1B for US-51/Danny Thomas Boulevard. Continue on Alabama Avenue. Exit ramp left at Alabama Avenue. Turn left on Poplar Avenue. Inside of the park continue straight ahead, and you will soon see the museum on the right.
Traveling I-40 Westbound - Take I-40 West from Nashville to Memphis. Follow the signs. Do not leave the expressway route, although you will see alternate directions for I-40. You will stay on the same road which will turn into Sam Cooper Boulevard, passing exits for Perkins Road, Graham Road, and Highland Street. Continue on Sam Cooper Boulevard through 2 stoplights until you come to a T-intersection. This is East Parkway, and you will turn left. Go to the next traffic light and turn right. You are now on Poplar Avenue. As you travel West on Poplar Avenue, you will pass the forested area of the park on the right and come upon the golf course area. After you have passed the lighted intersection at Cooper Street, take the first right turn into Overton Park. You will come to a 4-way stop at the golf clubhouse. Continue straight ahead, and you will soon see the museum on the left.
Traveling I-55 Northbound - Take I-55 North into Memphis. I-55 turns into I-240 at a huge multi-interstate interchange, take I-240 West. Do not exit towards I-55/St. Louis signs. Continue straight North on I-240 to Union Avenue. Take Union Avenue East exit. Continue on Union Avenue for about 3 miles. Take Tucker Street to the left. There is a large buff brick Church of Christ building on this corner. Continue on Tucker Street, crossing Madison and Poplar Avenues. Follow straight into Overton Park. The museum is straight ahead on the right.
Traveling from the Memphis International Airport - Follow the signs from the airport onto I-240 West. Take Union Avenue East exit. Continue on Union Avenue for about 3 miles. Turn left on Tucker Street. Look for a large buff brick Church of Christ building on this corner. Continue on Tucker Street, crossing Madison and Poplar Avenues. Follow straight into Overton Park. The museum is on the right.
Traveling from Arkansas and Missouri - Take I-55 South from Northern Arkansas or Missouri, I-40 East from Central and Southern Arkansas. Take or continue on I-40 East and cross the Hernando Desoto Bridge (the northernmost one that looks like an “M”). At the end of the bridge is an exit for Front Street. Exit South. The next intersection you will come to is Poplar Avenue. Turn left on Poplar Avenue. Continue on Poplar Avenue for about 4-5 miles to Tucker Street (just past McLean Boulevard). Turn left onto Tucker Street and follow straight into Overton Park. The museum will be straight ahead.
Traveling Highway 78 West through Olive Branch - Take Highway 78 West through Olive Branch. Highway 78 West turns into Memphis’ Lamar Avenue. Take I-240 West to Airways Boulevard. Take Airways Boulevard North. Continue on Airways for about 5 miles. You will go past the Fairgrounds where the road changes names to East Parkway. Soon after the Fairgrounds, you will come to a large intersection at Poplar Avenue. Be careful, there are two sets of lights to watch for here! Take Poplar Avenue to the left. As you travel West on Poplar Avenue, you will pass the forested area of the park on the right and come upon the golf course. After you have passed the lighted intersection at Cooper Street, take the first right turn into Overton Park. You will come to a 4-way stop at the golf clubhouse. Continue straight, the museum will be on the left.
Traveling from Alabama - Take 78 West all the way into Tennessee (this becomes Route 4). Exit onto I-240 towards Arkansas/Little Rock/downtown. Stay on 240 until you see an exit for Union Avenue. Exit to the right taking Union Avenue East. Take Union Avenue until you reach Tucker Street (you will pass McLean Boulevard and Starbucks and a Walgreens). Turn left onto Tucker Street and follow straight into Overton Park. The museum is on the right.
Is the museum wheelchair accessible?
Wheelchairs are available at admissions at the front entrance, on the main floor. If you would like Security to meet you at your car at the front entrance, please call 901.544.6200. There are a limited number of wheelchairs, so they are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The front is handicapped accessible with a ramp from the parking lot.
Does the museum offer special programs or tours for visitors with visual or hearing impairments?
Brooks offers a variety of programs for visitors with diverse needs. Please call the Education Department at 901.544.6215 for more information.
To protect the art, we ask our visitors not to touch. Look, linger, think, converse, and enjoy, but please help us by remaining at least 6 inches from the art. Should an individual require more accessibility, please call our Visitor Services Manager at 901.544.6256 to arrange a tour with a member of our curatorial staff when the museum is closed to regular visitors.
How do I arrange a visit for a school group or group of adults?
All guided and self-guided school groups, and all adult groups must make advance reservations for visits. Reservations are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis and tend to fill up quickly. Please make your reservation as early as possible. A reservation form must be filled out in advance. To make a reservation online click here. You may also make your reservation by calling 901.544.6215 or emailing edu@brooksmuseum.org.
Can I have a guided tour at anytime?
The Brooks Museum offers private guided tours that must be scheduled in advance. If you would like to learn more about the museum’s permanent collection you may choose to take a tour led by a docent that is free with museum admission. Please call 901.544.6215 or email edu@brooksmuseum.org for times and specific topics.
We have an audio tour that provides interpretive programming about selected galleries in the museum’s permanent collection at no additional cost to visitors. The Permanent Collection is offered in English and Spanish for kids and adults. Audio guides of selected traveling exhibitions are also available in English.ou can use the iTouch audio guides available for free at our Visitor Services desk. iTouches are available for museum visitors ages 12 and up with valid ID.
Do you offer gallery tours in any languages other than English?
Arrangements can be made in advance to schedule alternate tours in select languages. Please click here to email the tour coordinator to schedule your appointment.
The museum’s audio tour of the permanent collection is also offered in Spanish. See our Visitor Services staff to use an iTouch.
Presently the museum does not have any scheduled tours for our visitors with hearing impairments, but we hope to initiate this service in the near future.
Is the museum a private or public institution?
The Brooks Museum is a private, not-for-profit institution governed by a Board of Trustees, operating in a building owned by the City of Memphis.
How large is the museum and its collection? What is in the museum’s permanent collection?
The Brooks Museum has the largest fine arts collection in Tennessee. Our permanent collection (works of art that are actually owned by the museum) includes more than 10,000 objects—such as painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts, and video art from most major world cultures – and is housed in a 86,000-square-foot facility. The museum's permanent collection ranges from ancient antiquities to contemporary art, and represent a wide range of cultures. Only a fraction of these works can be on display at any given time. Sometimes works are lent to other museums for special exhibitions. Certain types of objects, such as watercolors, textiles, and photographs, are sensitive to light and begin to fade if they are exposed for too long, so their exhibition time is limited. Finally, as large as the museum is, there is not enough room to display everything in the collection. In order to present our best works, the collection is rotated periodically.
Can you tell me the value of an artwork that I own?
The museum does not provide monetary appraisals. To determine the value of an object or to find an appraiser, you may contact the American Society of Appraisers or the International Society of Appraisers.
American Society of Appraisers
555 Herndon Parkway, Suite 125
Herndon, Va. 20170
Tel: 800.272.8256 or 703.478.2228
Fax: 703.742.8471
Email: asainfo@appraisers.org
Website: www.appraisers.org
International Society of Appraisers
225 West Wacker Drive, Suite 650
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: 312-981-6778
Fax: 312-265-2908
Email: usa@usa-appraisers.org
How can I have my historic or artistic work restored?
The Brooks is unable to provide conservation services to the public. Stanton University's Preservation maintains links to numerous websites providing information regarding the care of artworks. Please visit aic.stanford.edu for online conservation resources. For assistance in finding a conservator, please contact:
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works
1717 K Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: 202.452.9545
Email: info@aic-faic.org
Website: aic.stanford.edu
Additional Internet Resources:
What Is a Print?
The Art History Research Centre
The ArtWorld Network
The Berkeley Digital Library
PBS’ "Antiques Roadshow"
Are visitors permitted to sketch in the museum?
Visitors are invited to sketch in pencil on pads smaller than 18” x 24” without easels or other floor standing supports. Groups wishing to sketch should contact the group tour coordinator to schedule a time for their visit. Please call 901.544.6215 or email edu@brooksmuseum.org. Some traveling exhibitions may be excluded.
Is photography or videography permitted in the museum?
Photography is permitted with no flash for personal and casual use. Flash is forbidden because it has the potential to damage artworks as well as distract other museum visitors. On occasions, photography restrictions do come up. Our Visitor Services staff will inform the public about such restrictions upon their arrival and appropriate signage will be posted at exhibition entrances.
Please, no portrait photography inside the museum. We cannot allow graduation, engagement, wedding or other posed portraits to be photographed within the museum. When weather permits, feel free to use the outside of the museum for portraits.
Video cameras or tripods may not to be used in any museum gallery. Go here to learn more about our photography policies.
Are visitors allowed to paint in the museum?
Visitors who wish to copy a work of art must apply for a permit issued by the Brooks Museum. Copying is restricted to works in the permanent collection. All copies must be made on a scale that differs from the original by at least 20% in both height and width. Copies must be stamped by the appropriate curator upon completion. Objects on loan to the museum may not be copied without the written permission of the owners. Works by living artists may not be copied without their written permission. Certain rules govern the use of art materials by staff-supervised groups in the Brooks Museum’s permanent collection galleries and special exhibitions. Please call the Education Department at 901.544.6215 for more information.
How do I become a member?
To become a Brooks Member, join online; stop by the Admissions Desk; pick-up and complete an application form, or mail it along with your dues to the membership department; or call 901.544.6230 Monday through Friday.