A Preview to the Renovated and New Metal Museum
Inside the Metal Museum's New Home in Overton Park
Inside the Metal Museum's New Home in Overton Park
The Metal Museum is trading its longtime space on the bluff for a bigger, bolder home this September. Here's what's actually changing, and why it matters for Memphis.
After 47 years perched above the river, the Metal Museum is packing up and moving into Overton Park. The new home is the former Memphis College of Art building and it reopens to the public on September 5. This move is a special one as a lot of the museum’s artists and visitors have a personal history to the Memphis College of Art.
This is not a small refresh and the new space is nearly three times the size of the old riverfront location. It puts the museum inside one of the city's busiest public spaces, walkable, bikeable, and reachable by transit or car, right in the middle of one of Memphis' most active cultural districts.
What's actually changing?
What's actually changing?
Alongside the renovated main building sits a brand-new addition: the Windgate Metal Studios, a purpose-built facility for blacksmithing, casting, fabrication, and welding. This is where the Museum's hands-on side lives, residencies, paid apprenticeships, internships, public classes, demonstrations, and commissioned work all run through this space.
Bigger galleries mean bigger exhibitions, too. The Museum will be able to show more of its permanent collection at once, and a major recent gift of more than 40 works from collectors John and Robyn Horn adds even more depth to what visitors can see.
Outside, there's a free, year-round Sculpture Walk featuring large-scale work from internationally recognized artists, an outdoor art experience Memphis doesn't have much of elsewhere at this scale.
The project is led by Executive Director Carissa Hussong, who has called the move far more than a new building, describing it as decades of growth culminating in a real investment in artists, education, and the community. The renovation and expansion are backed by the Museum's $35 million capital and endowment campaign.
The buildout is being led by Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture, working alongside Memphis-based LRK as architect of record. Yantrasast described the approach as "acupuncture architecture," meaning the goal was never a facelift or a cosmetic redo. Instead, the team focused on the building's underlying structure and character, treating the new location as a continuation of the Museum's identity rather than a replacement for it.
What's Coming Next
What's Coming Next
Education is the biggest growth area. The new building has eight times the dedicated learning space of the old location, and the Museum expects to reach around 20,000 public school students a year through tours and demonstrations, plus another 5,000 kids through camps and family programs. New offerings launching in 2027 include a welding summer camp, a blacksmithing conference, STEAM programming for youth, and classroom resources for teachers.
The original bluff-front location isn't going away either. It's shifting into a dedicated artist residency space, so both sites stay active, just with different jobs.
Check out the first two exhibitions announced for the new location: From the Bluff to the Park and Strike! Pour! Create!
Plan your visit
Location: Overton Park, Memphis, TN (former Memphis College of Art building)
Opens: Grand opening | Saturday, September 5, 2026. Opens Friday, September 11, 2026.
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm
Outside: Don't skip the free Sculpture Walk, it's open year-round and doesn't require a ticket
Learn more: Metalmuseum.org
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