Nailah Woods ’25 (left) and Hannah Pollard ’25 (right) were selected for the Contemporary Arts Memphis summer fellowship program. | Photo by Steve Jones
The program provides young artists with three weeks of college-level instruction and participation in specialized workshops with industry professionals, studio time, and peer-focused group discussions.
Nailah and Hannah enjoyed a week-long trip to New York as part of the program, where they visited cultural institutions, met working artists, and toured galleries.
The program concluded with a special gallery, which Hutchison art teachers Jeanette Leake and Dana Harris attended to support Hannah and Nailah.
1/4
Two Hutchison Artists Participate in Summer Fellowship Program
Hannah Pollard ’25 and Nailah Woods ’25 spent the summer growing their skills through the Contemporary Arts Memphis summer fellowship program.
The program provides young artists with three weeks of college-level instruction and participation in specialized workshops with industry professionals, studio time, and peer-focused group discussions. With the program, Hannah and Nailah also traveled to New York for a week, where they visited cultural institutions, met working artists, and toured galleries.
“The fellowship helped me grow a lot and get to know different types of artistic mediums and people,” Hannah said. “I’m learning to break old habits and build new ones. Exploring and growing as an artist is my primary focus.”
Both Hannah and Nailah completed AP Drawing during their junior year, and they are recipients of Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards. Hannah won a Gold Key in Printmaking, and Nailah earned a Silver Key and an Honorable Mention in Drawing & Illustration.
“For the last 10 years, I’ve primarily been drawing cartoons. During the program, I had to push myself toward realism, which made me grow a lot,” Nailah said. “I learned about shape, form, negative space, sighting, and more. Now that I have learned about these new mediums and techniques, I’m more open. I’m painting, doing ceramics, studying art history, and learning printmaking. It helps me understand a lot of things in art: its history and the “why” behind things.”
We can't wait to see how Hannah and Nailah take what they learned from the program and use their new skills to produce amazing artwork during their senior year at Hutchison.
In these student-led R.E.A.L. discussions, our fourth graders sharpen their conversation skills while learning to support their ideas with evidence and think critically.
Through years of theatre, dance, music, and leadership in the arts, Chloe Simpson ’25 found confidence, community, and her voice. From the stage to the classroom, she embraced every opportunity to grow as a performer, student, and civic thinker.
Maggie’s interest in environmental science and forestry has grown through hands-on learning, inspiring mentors, and community involvement. After 15 years at Hutchison, she’s ready to turn her curiosity and love for learning into real-world impact.
Hutchison Now highlights graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Mallory Mullis '18, Manager of Leadership Programs at the Dallas Regional Chamber.
Hutchison world language students participated in the 2025 U of M Language Fair, sponsored by The University of Memphis Department of World Languages and Literatures. Demonstrating their knowledge of Spanish and Chinese, Hutchison had nine upper school girls win awards at the fair.
Yes, egg prices are high, according to our fifth graders’ research! Their Mean Monday activity tracking grocery store prices was highlighted on WREG News Channel 3.
Carpe diem! Demonstrating their enthusiasm for Latin and Roman culture, Hutchison had several students win awards at the Tennessee Junior Classical League Convention.
Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test—these are the five steps of design thinking that our lower school girls live by in the Design Lab with academic technology specialist Jennifer Stover.
Our innovative middle school STEM explorations class is designed to inspire young girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Through exposure to different types of STEM-adjacent careers and visits from professionals working in STEM careers, we hope to encourage the next generation of female leaders in these fields.
Louise Smythe ’06, who works as a storyboard artist at Pixar Animation Studios and contributed to “Inside Out 2” credits her time at Hutchison for building her confidence and skills.