Children and youth rush to the Carpenter Art Garden after school each day to be with their friends, family, volunteers, and staff. Our experienced programming and administrative team includes neighborhood residents who are catalysts for change, influencing a new generation of leaders who are transforming their neighborhood. Learn about the Seeds of Peace programming which benefits all ages.
The Carpenter Art Garden began in July of 2012 with a vision and the purchase of a single blighted lot on Carpenter St. in the Binghampton area of Memphis, Tennessee. We have grown into a community organization that offers free year-round art, education and vocational programming to hundreds of youth and their families.
The Carpenter Art Garden now comprises nine properties and boasts outdoor art classrooms, organic gardens, two mosaic parks and indoor facilities that house our programming. Our commitment to recognizing and expanding upon the natural beauty that exists within the Binghampton area has led to the expression of the vibrant community we are today. We draw upon the wisdom of Binghampton residents through our youth participants, their families and other community members to ensure we not only address the immediate needs, but continue to serve as an active partner in the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams.
Our commitment to listening and responding to the needs, ideas, and dreams of Binghampton children and adults helped us grow into the vibrant organization we are today.
Carpenter Art Garden’s campus is located on Carpenter Street between Johnson and Mimosa Streets. This is the main walking path between Cornerstone/Lester Prep School and a large housing development. The stability of our spaces, which many children call home, allows us to consistently meet the needs of neighborhood youth.
The Carpenter Art Garden campus
301 Carpenter St. | The Art Garden
The Art Garden is our original outdoor creative space. Children gather here weekly to create art, build relationships, and experience performances.
295 Carpenter St. | Purple House
Our multipurpose, indoor space hosts small group art and music lessons, computer access, community meetings, and a laundry co-op for families.
296 Carpenter St. | Carpenter Street Workshop
This workshop space provides vocational training in bike mechanics, sewing, and cooking. It’s also home to a community bike shop.
281 and 274 Carpenter St. | Community Gardens
The two gardens provide skills training, community building, and a space for families to grow healthy eating options.
282 Carpenter St. | Aunt Lou’s House
This little house is devoted to our educational programs. Outdoor tutoring rooms were designed and built as an extension to the indoor space in partnership with the University of Memphis.
273 Carpenter St. | Mosaic Garden
A community-led public art project that honors former Binghampton residents.
470 Tillman & Princeton | Tillman Sculpture Park
Tillman Sculpture Park is a space, statement, and environmental symbol of "growth." It resonates with Carpenter Art Garden's mission of growing young creatives through art education, intervention, and therapy programs, while inhabiting a space that both negates blight and births creativity and culture. Ribbon cutting ceremony TBA Summer 2026.
