Meet THIS YEAR’S EMERGING ARTISTS
Anna Kelly
At nearly 50 years old, I bought my first sewing machine for only $50. I wanted to be able to make myself cloth napkins for dinner parties because I think cloth napkins make every meal better. After that first square, I was completely addicted.
The journey from sewing to fabric art was swift but messy. I’ve enjoyed learning how different fabrics react to resin and how different people react to fabric based art. To date, almost all of my work depicts iconic Memphis places.
People often ask me when I am going to start making other things, and I tell them I will when Memphis quits inspiring me. That hasn't happened yet.
Jaimie-Nicole Monger
I’ve been creating art for as long as I can remember, ever since I could hold a crayon. I work primarily in acrylic and mixed media, layering bold color, grayscale portraiture, and textured materials like fabric or graphite to create work that feels emotionally charged and visually immersive. My style blends figuration and abstraction, allowing me to explore themes like identity, memory, and how we navigate the world around us.
Much of my inspiration comes from observing people, their body language, their silences, and the stories that live between what’s said and unsaid. As a Black, queer, neurodivergent artist, I often process my own experience through my work, but I’m just as interested in how others respond to it. I love when viewers see themselves in a piece I created in solitude. That kind of shared recognition is where the magic happens.
For me, painting is both release and reflection. It is where I give shape to feelings too complex for words and where I find connection in the process.
Ken Hunter
Art has always been a part of my life, but only recently have I chosen to pursue it with deliberate focus and intention. After years of exploring oil, acrylic, and watercolor, I’ve committed to graphite pencil as a medium that offers both clarity and emotional weight—an ideal tool for capturing the world as I see it.
Graphite allows me to create striking black and white imagery that blends precision with emotional depth. I’m especially drawn to the beauty of objects—vintage cameras, retro technology, and the overlooked details of the world around us—and I aim to capture them through a modern lens using this classical material.
With a master's degree in Cloud Computing Architecture and life experiences spanning Portugal, Germany, Japan, and the U.S., my work reflects a balance between structure and spontaneity, travel and stillness. Each drawing is an attempt to slow down and appreciate the form, function, and quiet story behind everyday things.
