A Slice of Sheet Cake
Lauren Kennedy, Owner and Director of Sheet Cake Gallery

Lauren Kennedy is the Owner & Director of Sheet Cake Gallery in Memphis, TN. Sheet Cake is a contemporary art gallery and consulting practice focused on artists based in and connected to the regional South, intentionally celebrating women, queer artists and artists of color. Prior to opening Sheet Cake, Kennedy led the Urban Art Commission (UAC), serving as the Executive Director from January 2015 to September 2023. During her tenure at UAC, she substantially grew the organization’s visibility, partnerships, and project opportunities including overseeing $6 million in public art investments, an ambitious strategic plan, and significant programs at the Memphis International Airport and Renasant Convention Center. She was invited to speak at WESTAF's Future History of Public Art Symposium in Honolulu, Hawai'i, ArtBAB (Art Bahrain Across Borders) in Manama, Bahrain, and UNFOLD in Dubai, UAE about public art processes and the state of public art in America. She also previously worked as the Partnership Manager for Ballet Memphis focusing on collaborative projects and opportunities to expand the ballet’s presence beyond the stage, and as the Program Manager for the Dallas Art Fair overseeing the various logistics of the three-day, contemporary art fair. Kennedy was also the founder and director of Southfork - Memphis, an alternative space for art and conversation from 2015 - 2017. She was a Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts Fellow at Rhodes College where she received a Bachelor of Art in Art History in 2008. Kennedy was named one of Memphis' 20<30 by the Memphis Flyer in 2014, a 2016 Young Cultural Innovators Fellow with Salzburg Global Seminar and to Memphis Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list in 2019.

Enjoy lunch alongside this weekly lecture series featuring presentations by artists, scholars, and Dixon staff sharing their knowledge on a variety of topics.

Eat lunch at the Dixon's café, Park and Cherry.
Pre-order by calling (901) 312-1277.

MUNCH AND LEARN IS ENDOWED BY THE LANDAU FAMILY IN MEMORY OF LESLIE MANN LANDAU