Meiya is a Contemporary Arts Memphis (CAM) Fellow, studying under the guidance of the renowned Derek Fordjour, alongside other incredibly talented artists. After completing the summer program, she continues to build upon her artistic journey. Her piece, Hugging a Reality, is now a permanent installation in the new CAM space, which opened Thursday, October 24, 2024.
Embedded Files
The grand opening ceremony featured prominent attendees, including Representative Steve Cohen, Memphis Mayor Paul Young, founder and philanthropist Pitt Hyde, and world-renowned artist and CAM founder Derek Fordjour. This event marked the unveiling of a 4,700-square-foot facility in the Medical District, designed to provide student artists with a vital space to create, learn, and exhibit their work. Instagram
Meiya hit the jackpot as the winner of the 2024 Arlington High School Parking Tag Design Contest! What’s the greatest prize a senior could hope for? How about a free parking pass and the ultimate honor—first pick of any spot in the Senior Parking Lot? Talk about a senior-year score!
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EmpowerHer
the Story
Meiya's journey toward finding her voice through female empowerment began deeply influencing her art. For two tireless years, Meiya dedicated herself to launching the EmpowerHer hygiene project at Arlington High School. During this time, she explored the complexities of femininity, reflecting on historical and contemporary struggles for equal rights, especially the ongoing fight for access to basic care.
When the EmpowerHer hygiene project was finally set to be implemented, Meiya crafted the triptych displayed above. This piece has since been exhibited at the Brooks Museum of Art and was selected for permanent installation at the new CAM facility, though it awaits its official home. Titled EmpowerHer—after the hygiene project Meiya founded at Arlington High School—the artwork has also been chosen for the Memphis Public Library’s Teen Arts Fest Exhibition, where it will be on display at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library from November 16th to November 24th, 2024.
The Arts II
The Arts II
Shelby County Board of Commissioners
(2024)
The Shelby County Commission recognized Meiya for completing the Contemporary Arts Memphis Summer Fellowship, recognizing her dedication, talent, and artistic contributions to the community.
Teen Arts Fest
(2024)
Meiya was awarded an honorable mention for EmpowerHer in the Memphis Teen Arts Fest.
Briarcrest Regional Art Contest & Exhibition
(2024)
Meiya was honored with the Best in Show Award for Colorful Thoughts in the Briarcrest Regional Art Contest & Exhibition.
Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards
(2024)
Meiya was honored with a Drawing & Illustration Silver Key Award for Think Twice, and a Photography Honorable Mention for Open to View at the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, TN
16th Annual West Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition
Meiya secured her first gallery showing, outside of her high school, featuring I am Historically Important, at the West Tennessee Regional Art Center on display from 01/16/24-02/25/2024.
Arlington High School Annual Art Show 2023
In 2023, at the AHS Annual Art Show, Meiya sold her first work of art. The portrait of David Bowie can be found here:
Agricenter International Ag Day Student Art Contest 2023
Meiya won 3rd Place for a colored pencil drawing reflecting the theme "Agriculture as Part of Your Life." The award included a luncheon, a $25 cash prize, a Certificate of Recognition from the Mayor of Shelby County, a Certificate of Achievement from Agricenter International Education and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, and a Certificate of Recognition from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
Independent Study, Arlington High School, & CAM
Meiya has been sculpting, drawing, painting, baking, decorating, and creating digital works of art since the age of two years old. Many of her works are displayed in the digital gallery on this site.
The Arts I
The Arts I
(prior to high school)
Chorus
(Arlington Middle and Arlington High)
Meiya was enrolled in Chorus from 6th to 9th grade and enjoyed learning her voice and studying music theory. After her freshman year, she felt as though she had taken her vocal training as far as she was interested in and enrolled in fine art.
Memphis College of Art
In the summer of 2019, Meiya completed the Animations Concepts summer course.
The Orpheum - Broadway Bootcamp
Meiya attended boot camp in the summers of 2018 and 2019. She appears waving to us in the First Day Scenes video and gives some delightful performances in both showcases.
CREATIVE WRITING
CREATIVE WRITING
The Artist's Process
My fingers on the frame, with a cold knob to twist,
Leaving enough space for my next masterpiece to exist.
The blank canvas stares back at me,
Now placed eye to eye to see.
The three-legged creature lurking in my midst,
And the morning light cannot save me.
With stick in hand, I slash its face.
The bold red gushes from its shapes,
Blending with its complementaries.
The green washes away my envy,
And the yellow reminds me of my hope for victory,
As I stand, crowned as king, in purple’s royalty.
I continue to macerate the beast, over and over again,
Until I feel complete.
I take my hand, covered in its defeat, and untwist the knob to unleash my masterpiece,
From the grasp of what was once the enemy.
The Artist's Process
My fingers on the frame, with a cold knob to twist,
Leaving enough space for my next masterpiece to exist.
The blank canvas stares back at me,
Now placed eye to eye to see.
The three-legged creature lurking in my midst,
And the morning light cannot save me.
With stick in hand, I slash its face.
The bold red gushes from its shapes,
Blending with its complementaries.
The green washes away my envy,
And the yellow reminds me of my hope for victory,
As I stand, crowned as king, in purple’s royalty.
I continue to macerate the beast, over and over again,
Until I feel complete.
I take my hand, covered in its defeat, and untwist the knob to unleash my masterpiece,
From the grasp of what was once the enemy.
The Ultimate Symbol of Femininity: The Cat
I watch as my cat’s chest rises up and down, a gentle purr filling the silence. I continue staring, and she lazily opens her eyes, staring back at me. I wonder to myself, why can I not be a cat? Is it because of their relaxation and peacefulness, or is it something more? Is it their independence, their strength, and their strive for freedom? Or is it their femininity? Is that what I adore most? Is that why I want to be a cat? Am I already a cat?
I constantly express my femininity with my clothes, makeup, bows in my hair, and my personality. My personality is filled with obsessing over celebrity men, art, makeup trends, Gilmore Girls, and cats. I see myself as very feminine, and I’m proud of it. Cats even help me feel more confident in my femininity.
Cats have been the ultimate symbol of femininity for ages. Back around 1950 BCE, a creature was drawn on a wall, with long front legs, a tail, and a triangular head craning down toward a mouse, one of the first appearances of a cat in ancient Egypt. From this moment on, cats would be associated with the domestic and even the spiritual life. Cats, depicted in these paintings, would either be chasing away dangerous animals, or placed in religious scenes, which is how cats became associated with women. Ancient Egyptian deities like Bastet, who was half-cat and half-woman, represented domesticity, fertility, and power. However, the negative use of cats started during the Salem Witch Trials. Black cats were declared a symbol of Satan, starting the witch hunts in the early 1300s. Women, along with cats, were strongly targeted. Women who were widows or without a male protector were easy prey. Women who were nurses were targeted. Both cats and women were targeted because of their independence, without the need for a male companion. There were even anti-suffrage movements in Britain that included cats and women, to show women as simple, delicate, and incapable of voting. They paired women with cats in print propaganda with women to demonstrate the women’s domestic place and female attributes. Cats were a symbol of both domesticity and anti-masculinity during this time. America also had similar propaganda, but suffragists changed the perspective of cats and women in the minds of American people. Suffragists like Neil Richardson and Alice Burke started a cross-country road trip to talk about the importance of women’s suffrage. They adopted a cat, and the cat became their mascot along the road. The changes in the perspective of cats throughout history have caused certain problems in our modern society, like sexism.
Sexism is still a prevalent problem in our world today, and cats are deeply rooted in the misogyny. Cats, like women, are independent, strong, and confident. Cats set their own boundaries by expressing their need for attention only when consent is given. People often outwardly express their disdain for cats with no apparent reason, and their “bad experiences” usually happen because they crossed a cat’s boundaries. People often do not like others who are independent and cannot be controlled, which is often what happens to women as well. This phenomenon was recently witnessed with the release of the “Barbie” movie, where people were actively hating on the film for displaying independent women combatting a patriarchal world, fighting for control. Plus, words and phrases like “catty,” “crazy cat lady,” “catcalling,” and “cat fight” have very negative connotations and relate back to cats. These words are often used to be sexist and demeaning of the female identity, which is not what the cat represents in femininity. Cats should be strong symbols of women, just like centuries before, and we must fight for that back as that is exactly what our suffragist leaders would want us to do.
I’ve realized how much cats are a part of my identity. I have two cats, both with very different personalities, but they share similar behaviors. They know their boundaries, just like me. I have certain boundaries, especially as an introverted individual. There is only so much talking and socialization I can take before I shut down. Cats show their belly or a part of their personality once they are comfortable. It takes a while for me to express myself to another, but once I feel comfortable, it is hard to keep me quiet. Cats often groom themselves, and I often do the same. I spend my mornings with my skincare, with my makeup routine, and with picking out my outfits. Spending that time in the morning on myself relaxes me. They like to care for others, as demonstrated by my cats when they bring in birds and mice that they expect me to “eat.” I also do the same. I care for my family and for my friends, constantly. I am often referenced as the “mom” of a group. However, the best quality of cats is their independence. I feel very independent in a good way. I can drive myself, purchase items for myself, and outwardly express who I am as a 16-year-old. I see all of these similar qualities of cats in myself, as a woman. Seeing cats confidently express themselves makes me feel confident in myself. I am proud to express my femininity and proud of seeing other women do so too. Cats have a strong sense of protection for each other, and as women, we should all protect and uplift each other too.
Cats are the ultimate symbol of femininity. Cats give me a strong sense of self and should be a valiant symbol for all women. Cats have always been a representation of female identity, all the way back from the ancient Egyptian times, to the Salem Witch Trials, to the suffrage movement in Great Britain and the US, and to present day now. Cats have sadly been associated with misogyny and sexism, but it is up to us women to take back cats as our character of empowerment and strength. I see myself with similar attributes to a cat, and I am proud of it. I love to express my femininity in today’s world. The independence, the boundaries, the comfortability, the grooming, and the sense of protection are important attributes to cats, and for us women too. We are all cat-like in those ways, and we should continue to embrace it. We should all celebrate our identities as women, and cats are one way we can do that.
Devoted Time
She has done it again, laying down on the floor,
Tears fall, running across the curvature of her face, as she acts like such a bore.
Her hands, once tugging, imprison her hair in her palms.
She’s like a bomb,
Already exploded, nothing is left.
She has done it again, all of her time has become the latest theft.
It is a crime that she has no time devoted to herself.
But a cat sneaks from behind a bookshelf,
Bringing its warmth next to her frigid self.
Suddenly the tears stop, and before time is up,
one quickly races to the cliff that is her chin.
On her face appears a grin.
Her hair releases from her palms as she turns to her side to see eyes that meet hers.
She lays her hand on its soft fur,
And the creature starts to purr,
as she rubs her hand back and forth, the purrs resonating,
Time seems to stop.
As she finally has someone that has devoted time to her.
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