Individual Artist Fellowship in Mural Arts Recipient Paige Ellens
From Krishna Adams, Director of Visual Arts, Craft, Media, and Design
Congratulations to Paige Ellens, better known in arts circles as Plastik Olives, on receiving the 2026 Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship (IAF) in Mural Arts. The prestigious fellowship recognizes artists living in Tennessee whose work has made significant contributions to the state’s cultural landscape.
Raised in Tipton County, Ellens relocated to Memphis to attend the University of Memphis, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art. She continues to live and work in Memphis, maintaining a multidisciplinary practice that includes murals, paintings, digital illustration, and graphic design for clients.
Exhibited throughout the United States, her public art installations and murals can be found in Tennessee, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Colorado, California, and internationally in Brazil. Working across multiple mediums, Ellens creates imaginative compositions that blend bold design with dynamic visual imagery. Known for her use of energetic color, she incorporates layered patterning, and recurring motifs inspired by contemporary popular culture into her work.
The IAF adjudicator praised Ellens’ distinctive visual language, noting her “command of shifting spatial logic.” The review noted her “ability to transition seamlessly between expansive color fields and compressed spaces, creating environments in which gravity appears to exist both on and off simultaneously.” Further explaining that Ellens’ “nuanced use of line, guides viewers through subterranean and extraterrestrial landscapes alike, inviting them into immersive worlds that balance fantasy with familiarity.”
When asked what advice she would offer artists considering applying for an IAF, Ellens emphasized persistence. “Go for it,” she said. “One of my teachers told me that once you graduate, the stack of ‘no’s’ is going to be substantial, and the stack of ‘yeses’ will be much smaller. You can’t give up submitting proposals and applying for grants. Put your name in the hat for everything you’re a good fit for. Don’t be discouraged by a no. When you do get that yes, it feels incredible, and it helps propel your career forward.”
The IAF award will help support her growing mural art momentum, she said. “With these funds, I plan to dedicate a portion towards revamping my inventory of supplies and materials, paying studio rent, and upgrading equipment for mural work,” Ellens said. “This is going to have a huge impact on my creative work, both personally and professionally in the coming year. I finally get to purchase some things that have been put on the back burner for a while now. I am ecstatic!”
Looking ahead, Ellens is preparing for one of the largest public art projects of her career: a collaborative, 1,000-foot-long mural for FedEx located near the Memphis International Airport. Scheduled to be unveiled later this summer, the project reflects the scale and ambition her career is growing to encompass. Learn more about Ellens’ work here. Ellens is represented through the Ugly Art Co.
