Opportunities in the visual arts aren’t always as linear or as clear-cut as other career paths, and a local group is trying to change that for area students. 

“If you are from an under-resourced community and you can play basketball or football really well, opportunity will find you,” said internationally known artist Derek Fordjour, the founder of Contemporary Arts Memphis. “If you can sing, dance or act, we have Collage Dance and Stax Academy — there are pathways. But for kids who can paint, draw or sculpt exceptionally well, everyone in their support group is at a loss on how to advise them. CAM seeks to be that solution.”

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CAM has launched its second annual summer fellowship cohort with 28 young artists from Memphis and the surrounding area. 

The program, initially launched in the summer of 2022, is four weeks long and open to high school students entering 11th and 12th grades from schools throughout the Mid-South. It includes students from charter, public and private schools across all socioeconomic backgrounds.

CAM’s 2023 summer program kicked off with a 17- by-32-foot art installation at Junior Achievement of Memphis earlier this week. Junior Achievement partnered with CAM for its fellows to work alongside Memphis artist Darlene Newman to create the expansive mural.

“We started on a very careful process of meeting people and finding those people to help us engage students from an educational standpoint in launching art along with career education,” said Leigh Mansberg, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Memphis. “It was entrepreneurial for both organizations, and we’re super excited that we were really able to discover that partnership and accomplish the art instillation.”

The first three weeks of the fellowship, which began Sunday, June 4, are spent sleepaway-camp style at St. Columba Retreat Center in North Memphis. Programming includes college-level instruction at the University of Memphis, specialized workshops from industry professionals, studio time and peer-focused group discussions.

“There is zero cost to our fellows,” Fordjour said. “Not only do they receive lodging for four weeks, we have a gourmet chef who is our chef-in-residence who prepares all of their meals. They also receive university-level instruction six hours per day, four days per week, at the University of Memphis and a trip to New York City to visit world-class museums.”

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The final week of the program is spent in New York City, where fellows will visit cultural institutions, meet working artists, tour galleries and get a taste of life in the Big Apple. Following the summer fellowship, alumni will have the opportunity to participate in year-round programming to support their artistic and educational journeys throughout their high school experience.

“Opportunity tends to favor the privileged, and cost can be a real barrier,” Fordjour said. “Having a no-fee structure, it levels the playing field and focuses on the talent and ambition of our young people, regardless of whatever economic situation they were born into.”

CAM is the region’s first organization focused on identifying and nurturing the next generation of contemporary artists. Founded by Fordjour, a native Memphian, CAM is designed to empower artists early in their development in ways that expand their thinking, inspire ambition and expose them to experiences that inform better decision-making.

“I think it’s very important for a child to believe that the community sees value in what inspires them,” Mansberg said. “It has to start early at a young age, and it has to be collective support. It shows our children their passions are valued, and their skills are valued.”

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Fordjour said CAM’s long-term plan includes addressing the disparities that are found in the school system wherein some students have great art programs, and some have no art teacher at all. 

“In addition to our work with our fellows, we want to help work with local school board officials to create some sort of partnership where we can help alleviate the creative drought that exists in some schools,” he said. “We’re excited about that.”