An oral history project chronicling the stories of the visual arts in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis Material is a podcast celebrating the personal histories, intimate stories, and the studio practices of some of the people who help shape the creative landscape of our city.
Jan, 02 2026
Tom Lee Part 2
From a text message from Tom Lee after I asked for a brief bio:
“born somewhere in texas, i ain’t sayin, moved a bit with preacher dad, sweetest mom, too many sibs to admit to, some strangers to me and mine, texas education, say what you will, understand you’re being a skeptic, i do, higher ed tho, land of grizzlies, bozeman and all, lotta nice and smart folks, artists all, highest ed, the old miss, ha! tolerable, took me where i went, mca, a haven and heaven to who i am deep, no longer tho, still lying and talking shit to friends unwilling to say ‘enough, bob’ (got called bob a lot, wtf), miss all the ones i grew to treasure, some the ones i thought i wouldn’t, i keep sayin, “i don’t wanna die in mississippi”, but here i be until i ent…
art forever, honeys, and goodnite.”
“born somewhere in texas, i ain’t sayin, moved a bit with preacher dad, sweetest mom, too many sibs to admit to, some strangers to me and mine, texas education, say what you will, understand you’re being a skeptic, i do, higher ed tho, land of grizzlies, bozeman and all, lotta nice and smart folks, artists all, highest ed, the old miss, ha! tolerable, took me where i went, mca, a haven and heaven to who i am deep, no longer tho, still lying and talking shit to friends unwilling to say ‘enough, bob’ (got called bob a lot, wtf), miss all the ones i grew to treasure, some the ones i thought i wouldn’t, i keep sayin, “i don’t wanna die in mississippi”, but here i be until i ent…
art forever, honeys, and goodnite.”
