Kelly Cook is a native Memphian and has spent her career dedicated to the art community of Memphis, TN. Cook holds a BFA from Memphis College of Art, a MFA from the University of Memphis, and a MAT in Art Education. In addition to teaching full-time for St. Mary's Episcopal School, she also teaches Drawing and Painting courses for the University of Memphis, where she has been an adjunct instructor since 2016. She has also previously taught for Christian Brothers University and organized private art tutoring to young people across the Mid-South. Cook is the recipient of the RiverARTS scholarship, the Presidential Purchase Award at the University of Memphis, and was recently nominated as a Semifinalist for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition in 2022. In addition to her teaching career, Cook is also a practicing studio artist, exploring the human experience of watercolor within her portraiture.