Homecoming queen’s artwork finds its way to museum

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Paris Donegan stands by her piece “Wash Day.”

Juggling the senior year of high school and the all too many thoughts whirling through a brain can be worrying and demanding, but senior Paris Donegan still manages to not only maintain but sustain her entrepreneurial/professional responsibilities.

On January 21, 2023, two of Donegan’s art pieces were inducted into the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art exhibition in Memphis, Tennessee. The pieces are titled “Tame the Mane” and “Wash Day,” Donegan is also an entrepreneur with a business named “Wristwork By Paris D” where she customizes shoes, and pants, Donegan plans to attend Alabama A&M and major in entrepreneurship and minor in studio art in order to continue to grow her business.

“Practice, practice, practice, I hope to continue working on myself,” Donegan said.

One of her biggest artistic influences is Rachel Motley who she came across on the TikTok platform. Motley is a digital artist, and has collaborated with many brands and people.

Donegan hopes to inspire young people to continue pushing for the future they want for themselves. WristWork By Paris D is busiest during the beginning of the school year and Christmastime, Donegan is currently working on selling portraits once she finishes getting all of her supplies.

“My favorite thing about art is being able to create how I feel, my least favorite thing is my vision not coming out how I expect it to,” Donegan said.

Paris Donegan stands by her piece “Tame The Mane.”

“Surround yourself with positive people that think like you and are goal-oriented that can support you and help you build you up on days when you need the extra support and positivity. Just go after it and be resilient. Don’t stop until you finish exactly what it is you want to do.” Donegan said.  

“Just go for it, it might be hard but it’ll always pay off in the end.”

Additional reporting by Brooklyn Williams