Civil Rights in Action: Creating Art on the Borderline a Visual Arts Cultural Center for Memphis, Tennessee

The purpose of this thesis is to explore opportunities for communication in the racially divided city of Memphis, Tennessee. A center for the study of the visual arts is proposed for the platform of communication. This study contends that a well-planned and well-designed architecture can serve as a location for communication for people from divergent backgrounds.

The history of the racial divide and the contemporary racial separation are both explored in this study. Approaches to healing the wounds created through years of division are also investigated. This thesis contends that a building for the creation and study of the visual arts is the most ideal approach to facilitate communication.