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Contemporary Arts Memphis Celebrates First Fellowship Class with Awards Ceremony, Art Exhibition, $81,000 Grant Announcement from Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, and an Endowed Scholarship at the University of Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn., August 22, 2022 – Contemporary Arts Memphis, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify and empower under-resourced student artists, celebrated their first Summer Fellowship class Sunday with an awards ceremony for the fellowship class, an art exhibition, an announcement of an endowed scholarship at the University of Memphis, and an announcement of the $81,000 Next Generation Empowerment Stipend for Shelby County high school students by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. The celebration recognized the 25 Memphis area student artists that participated in the CAM Summer Fellowship Program, an immersive camp that included one week in New York City at no cost to them and their families.
“This was an amazing day of recognition and announcements to keep art alive in Shelby County,” said Derek Fordjour, Contemporary Arts Memphis Founder, New York-Based Artist, and native Memphian. “We are so proud to recognize our first Summer Fellowship class and take a look back at our time together over the summer. We can’t thank Shelby County enough for investing in the future of art here in Shelby County with their $81,000 Next Generation Empowerment Stipend announcement today. The grant will ensure young citizens of Shelby County who are passionate and serious about their art will have the opportunity to develop the skills, techniques, experiences, and art pieces that will be so important to their growth as artists and their ability to contribute vibrantly to their communities. I am also proud to announce the endowed scholarship for students in the Department of Art at the University of Memphis, which will help college art students pursue their education, dreams, and careers in art.”
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announced an $81,000 Next Generation Artist Empowerment Stipend Fund in conjunction with Contemporary Arts Memphis. The grant fund will provide for $15/hour stipends for ten qualifying youth artists-in-development in the Contemporary Arts Fellowship program for nine months of art-related work. The stipends will provide students facing economic challenges, who usually work part-time jobs to help support their families, with paid “opportunity hours” to focus on their art and artistic development. The outcomes for these Fellow’s opportunity hours will result in more competitive post-secondary applications, scholarship dollars, investment in local artistic talent, and a professional pathway for the Fellows to learn how to scale a successful career within the arts field.
Next Generation Empowerment stipend recipients will have had to complete the CAM Summer Fellowship, must be a rising junior or senior, and have plans to attend art school or a vocational school pursuing a degree associated with the arts to qualify for the stipend assistance.
“Our community is known around the globe for our contributions to culture, music, and the creative arts. Contemporary Arts Memphis and the young artists they work with are carrying the torch of that proud legacy.” said Lee Harris, Shelby County Mayor. “We are proud to support them with the CAM Our Next Generation Artist Empowerment stipend. We know that CAM has poured into these young people and it’s our hope that these financial resources will allow them to hone their skills, achieve their dreams, and make sure that Memphis continues to share our art with the world.”
The Contemporary Arts Memphis program recognized all 25 Summer Fellows, offered a reception and arts exhibition by the 2022 fellows, and presented the following awards.
- The 2022 Faculty Recognition Award was presented to Rowan Lundrigan, Bartlett High School, 10thgrade, and Bella Henderson, Briarcrest High School, 11th grade.
- The 2022 CAM Community Resource Award was presented to Yami Barbosa, Arlington High School, 12th grade.
- The 2022 Bill Hicks Founders Award was presented to Chrystian Anderson, Cordova High School, 11thgrade.
Fordjour also announced the funding of a scholarship endowment at the University of Memphis for Contemporary Arts alumni in the Department of Art. The $50,000 endowment will provide a scholarship of $2,000 to Contemporary Arts Fellows Alumni each year in perpetuity.
Contemporary Arts Memphis was founded by Memphis native and New York-based artist Derek Fordjour.Fordjour is an established force in contemporary art and his work is in the public collections of institutions that include the Whitney Museum of American Art; Guggenheim Museum; Dallas Museum of Art; Pérez Art Museum Miami; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; and The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York.
Fordjour designed the CAM Summer Fellowship Program to help young Memphis area artists understand the art world, improve art-making skills, and expose them to successful models at no cost to them or their families. The CAM Summer Fellowship is a four-week program featuring artmaking, contemporary art history, professional development workshops, artist mentors, and during the final week, Fellows will travel to New York City to visit museums and artist studios at the epicenter of the art world
Photos:
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Derek Fordjour, Contemporary Arts Memphis founder, pose with first Summer Fellowship class of student artists.
Student artists from the 2022 CAM Summer Fellowship Program during the three-week sleep away camp before heading to New York City.
CAM Summer Fellows Group with Fordjour at an art gallery in New York.
Derek Fordjour, a native Memphian and world-renowned contemporary artist, founded Contemporary Arts Memphis to empower under-resourced student artists and develop their talent.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jhmmud232lel4ks/Derek_Fordjour.jpeg?dl=0
Find CAM Online:
https://instagram.com/camsummerfellowship
ABOUT CAM:
Contemporary Arts Memphis (CAM) is the Mid-South’s first nonprofit focused on identifying and nurturing the next generation of contemporary artists. CAM is a 501(c)3 founded in 2021 by native Memphian and New York based artist Derek Fordjour. CAM’s mission is to empower young artists from under-resourced Memphis-area public high schools by offering mentorship, education, travel, and partnership with professional artists and models to student artists participating in the CAM Summer Fellowship Program. This program’s long-range goal is to build a rich, vibrant contemporary arts scene in Memphis and help spur the city’s creative growth.
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