CAM Artists Win Honors

For four weeks this summer, St. Agnes Academy juniors Julie Coker and Lyra Taylor stepped outside the classroom and into an immersive world of contemporary art, pushing their creativity and expanding their artistic perspectives alongside other young artists.

Both students were selected for the Contemporary Arts Memphis (CAM) Summer Fellowship, a highly competitive program designed to challenge emerging artists through an intensive arts-based learning experience. The four-week fellowship included a week in New York City where students visited the studios of working artists, explored major museums including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Whitney Museum of American Art, and toured leading art colleges.

Our students distinguished themselves throughout the program, and at the conclusion of the fellowship, both were recognized for their outstanding performance.

Julie received the Bill Hicks Founders Award, the fellowship’s highest honor. Named for Bill Hicks, the art teacher of CAM founder Derek Fordjour, the award recognizes outstanding achievement within the fellowship.

Lyra received the Emmanuel A. Opoku Community Resource Award, recognizing her positivity, encouragement and ability to build community among her peers throughout the program.

For Julie, the CAM experience provided more than an opportunity to develop her artistic skills, it also helped her envision a future in the arts.

“CAM was a lot of hard work, but the community we shared, along with the skills and perseverance that I learned there made it all worth it,” Julie said. “I think overall it gave me a better sense of what I want to do regarding the arts and made a career in the arts feel more attainable.”

Lyra came away from the fellowship with a similar sense of direction.

“Through CAM I learned the foundations of what it takes to be an artist,” Lyra said. “It gave me direction for my passion. Now that I have completed the fellowship, I am looking forward to working in the year-round studio and building a larger portfolio.”

Upper School Art Teacher, Mrs. Ginny Crittendon, noted that both students bring distinctive strengths to their artwork. “Julie has an exceptional ability to express ideas visually and engage the viewer into her artwork. She has a strong vision and can see possibilities in her projects that others might overlook. Her advanced technical skills in various mediums allow her to execute her visions with incredible realism.

“Lyra’s creativity and innovative ideas are inspirational. Her eyes light up with enthusiasm when she has a new idea for a piece of artwork or fashion design to share. She has a passion for exploring various mediums and putting a personal spin on each of her pieces. They are gifted young ladies who truly model our St. Agnes values and mission everywhere they go,” Mrs. Crittendon said.

CAM is a non-profit organization founded by acclaimed, New York-based visual artist and Memphis native Derek Fordjour. The organization identifies, mentors, and empowers under-resourced student artists from local high schools. After completion of the Summer Fellowship, students are invited to participate in year-round programming for continued arts education support and college and career guidance.