Amellia Hausmann ’21 Wins National Recognition for Art
The outlook for Amellia Hausmann ’21 is bright and sunny these days. She is one of only eight people in the country to earn the Gold Medal Portfolio Award in Art, the highest honor given by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The prestigious award comes with a $10,000 scholarship. Her work was selected from nearly 2,000 works that received National Medals, and among the 15,000 works that were awarded regionally with Gold Keys.
Her winning portfolio, entitled “Sun Dried,” transports the eye to imagery that captures how sunlight plays with fabric, says Amellia. “I worked to accentuate the warm colors in the faces and to keep the highlights on the fabric crisp to really give the sense of a bright, warm, summer day.
“My overall goal was to utilize the interesting colors and shapes that bright, direct sunlight creates against fabric to create beautiful, nostalgic scenes so that even if the viewer has never experienced the scene, the piece transports them to a warm, familiar environment," says Amellia.
“All of my art is a mixture of inspiration I find from artists I love. I try to always have one realistic element and then the rest I try to experiment,” she says.
In addition to the Gold Medal Portfolio Award, Amellia won a Gold Medal and the American Visions Award for her piece “Colorful Breeze.” She will be recognized during a virtual ceremony in June, and her work will hang in an exhibition in New York City. Now in its 98th year, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for young artists and writers in grades 7–12.
Winning this award, Amellia is in the company of Stephen King, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, and Amanda Gorman, all notable alumni of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Amellia has been at Hutchison since junior kindergarten, with a two-year break in middle school, and says she became serious about art when she entered upper school.
“I’ve always enjoyed art, but I started taking it more seriously once I was in high school. I always liked crafts and creative things growing up, but once I began taking more structured, serious classes like advanced honors drawing during my sophomore year, I began to realize how much I loved it.”
Amellia’s passion for art and creating extends past the classroom. She has her own business outside of school called Art by Amellia where she sells original paintings and takes commissions, which she says includes a lot of custom pet portraits. She will attend Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) next year where she plans to major in User Experience (UX Design), which includes a mixture of technology, marketing, and design. She also wants to minor or double major in painting.
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Jordan Deupree ’24 and Bailey Wiener ’24 have been recognized for their leadership in their selection for the Next Gen program, which provides students with mentorship and opportunities to learn more about the Memphis business community.
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Hutchison world language students participated in the 2024 U of M Language Fair, sponsored by The University of Memphis Department of World Languages and Literatures. Demonstrating their knowledge of Spanish, Hutchison had a total of 12 students win awards at the fair.
AP Scholar and National African American Recognition Program Scholar Lauren Coleman ’24 explored her interest in science and the environment at Hutchison. She hopes to make a difference through a career in sustainability.
J’oules Williams ’24 is a member of Memphis Parent magazine’s inaugural 10 under 20 class. The award celebrates youth who strive to make a difference in their community and change the lives of others for the better.
Adela Calzada ’24 has attended Hutchison since pre-K, and she said it allowed her to blossom into a leader who also makes Hutchison feel like home for her peers.
Our inaugural graduating class of the myExperience program presented their capstone projects with confidence, poise, and enthusiasm at our first myExperience Senior Showcase.
Excelsior! Demonstrating their knowledge of Latin, Hutchison had a total of 10 students win awards at the Tennessee Junior Classical League Convention.
Jayla Dorsey ’24 was a dedicated member of the varsity basketball team all four years of her high school experience, and she credits her coach, teammates, and Hutchison community members for believing in her.
Avery Webb ’26 enjoyed the opportunity to shadow Rep. John Gillespie in Nashville as he interacted with state officials and legislators, and she even got to meet Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
Hutchison Now highlights graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Mary Catherine Hughes ’10, a development associate at the Nashville Repertory Theatre.