"I moved to Memphis in 2000 to teach fibers at Memphis College of Art, a dream job with one room full of looms and another with five long, padded tables and a kitchen for printing and dyeing fabric. In 2006, after the looms were gone, I continued teaching surface design and also became Gallery Director, researching and curating many exhibitions until 2012." - Jennifer Sargent
Pretty Useful Co.
Pretty Useful Co. makes clever goods for fun people. They design enamel pins that move, candles that transport you to the deep, banners that hold your earring and pin collections, prints that teach you how to make a mean martini, and other small delights meant to live in your everyday life.
Founded in 2016 by Allie Mounce andClareFreeman, a 2013 graduate of Memphis College of Art, Pretty Useful Co. blends illustration, humor, and thoughtful design into objects that are as functional as they are joyful. What started as an idea between friends has grown into a line of well-made goods designed to be kept, gifted, and loved.
Allison Read Smith
"The jewelry I make is inspired by a respect for the simplicity and beauty of everyday objects. I am attempting to elevate these into something symbolically and emotionally significant. The objects use levity and humor to present our more serious and private thoughts. They represent the strength and solitude of our inner worlds.”
Lurlynn Franklin
Lurlynn Franklin is an award-winning art educator, painter, muralist, and published poet, essayist, and playwright. She received the 2023 Emmett O’Ryan Award for Artistic Inspiration in recognition of her community arts advocacy and innovative programming.
Franklin earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art from Minot State University, an MFA in Studio Art (Painting) and a Master’s in Art Education from Memphis College of Art. She is currently a graduate student in the Art History of the African Diaspora program with a concentration in Museum Studies at the University of Memphis, where she also serves as a part-time instructor.
With more than 25 years of experience teaching in charter and public schools, Franklin is deeply committed to arts education and community engagement. An established painter and muralist since age 16, she integrates her studio practice with public and collaborative projects. Her commissioned works include The ArtSee Student/Teacher Public Art Gallery in Frayser, a large-scale collaborative rotunda design at Downtown Elementary School, and the community signage project Welcome to Frayser.
Her work has been exhibited at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, the University of Tennessee at Martin, the University of Memphis, and Crosstown Arts.
Jennifer Sargent
In a world that often feels intent on eliminating personal, unmeasured time, tapestry weaving offers a deliberate contrast. The slow, methodical nature of the process creates space for contemplation and reflection. Working by hand—through drawing, creating woven samples, and weaving scarves—the artist approaches each piece with an enduring passion for texture, pattern, and color.
Storytelling and the natural world—whether wild or domesticated—are constant influences in the work. Through the layering of pattern and color, these ideas and experiences are transformed into more abstracted visual expressions.
As an artist weaver, she sees herself as both a contemporary practitioner and part of a continuum that stretches back thousands of years. This duality serves as both a comfort and a challenge, grounding her practice in tradition while pushing it forward.
Tootsie Bell
Tootsie Bell is a Memphis-based artist and silversmith whose work lives at the intersection of craft, history, and material truth. Rooted in traditional metalsmithing techniques and informed by decades of hands-on creation, her practice is grounded in respect—for objects, for process, and for the stories materials carry over time.
Working primarily with silver and mixed media, Bell is drawn to surfaces that show evidence of use, wear, and transformation. Process, imperfection, and material honesty are central to her work; marks, patina, and subtle irregularities are allowed to remain visible as records of experience. While restoration informs her respect for craft and longevity, her primary focus is on creating work that speaks to connection, resilience, and lived human experience.
Her background spans fine art, craft, and conservation, providing a deep technical foundation alongside conceptual sensitivity. Bell is especially interested in legacy objects—items made to last, to be handled, and to be passed down—and in the emotional weight they accumulate through time, touch, and memory.
In addition to her studio practice, Bell has spent much of her career as a teacher and mentor, committed to sharing skills, process, and creative confidence with others. Whether working at an intimate scale or in the public realm, her work is rooted in storytelling, making, and the belief that art serves as a vital record of what it means to be human.
"Memphis College of Art saved my life. It gave me a home, a family, and a community I had never experienced before—a belonging among like-minded people. Deep thinkers, deep feelers, and doers who wanted to make a difference. The faculty at MCA were incredibly talented, and the relationships they built with their students taught us how to find our voices and nurture our aspirations. MCA changed lives and shaped our culture every day." -Tootsie Bell
Featured Collections
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
1934 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38104 Located in Overton Park.
Typical email response times between 1-2 business days.
Contact
W & F: 10am-4pm, Th: 10am-8pm, Sat: 10am-5pm, Sun: 11am-5pm
Get in touch
@brooksmuseum
