MEMArtsTech
Built for Memphis Students
New Ballet Ensemble & School, Inc. is launching a new nonprofit, Memphis School for the Arts & Technology (MEMArtsTech), a public contract school serving grades 6–12. MEMArtsTech will provide rigorous academic instruction integrated with professional arts and technology education. The school will be located on a repurposed legacy campus in North Memphis, supporting accessibility for surrounding neighborhoods while remaining open to students county-wide.
MEMArtsTech will operate year-round and partner with established education and community organizations to support student learning and engagement. The curriculum is designed to connect academics, the arts, and technology with real-world applications, preparing students for postsecondary education, workforce pathways, and creative leadership opportunities.
What Students Will Experience
At MEMArtsTech, students will receive:
- Rigorous, high-quality academic instruction
- Professional-level training in the arts and technology
- Mentorship from working artists and educators
- A supportive environment that values creativity as intelligence
- A network of nonprofit partners providing holistic support
Students will graduate prepared to:
- Enter competitive BFA and collegiate programs
- Launch artistic and creative careers
- Contribute to the cultural and economic future of Memphis
A New Kind of School for Memphis
MEMArtsTech will be the first freestanding vocational arts and technology school in Memphis to operate as a full-service community school, serving grades 6–12.
Designed after the most successful arts schools in the nation, MEMArtsTech will emphasize professional arts training as strongly as academic preparation, something currently unavailable to Memphis students at scale.
By basing admissions on artistic aptitude rather than academic achievement, MEMArtsTech creates opportunity for students whose creative intelligence is too often overlooked in traditional school systems.
Why This Matters Now
Memphis is celebrated worldwide for its artistic legacy—but we must do more to develop the next generation of creative innovators.
Too many talented young people leave school without ever having their abilities fully nurtured. MEMArtsTech is a direct investment in the city’s future artists, innovators, and cultural leaders—ensuring that talent meets opportunity.
Photo caption: Yo-Yo Ma and New Ballet Ensemble & School students perform at Colonial Middle School, 2014.
A Historic School, Reimagined
In 2025, New Ballet Ensemble & School was approved to purchase the historic Humes School from the Memphis Shelby County School Board to transform it into a new community hub for arts and education.
Humes is best known as the alma mater of Elvis Presley. From its earliest days, Humes combined rigorous academics with forward-thinking vocational training and a deep commitment to community. In 1937, it served as a refuge for families displaced by the Mississippi River flood, with teachers and students organizing relief efforts. Nationally recognized for innovation, Humes installed the largest centralized radio system in America in 1929 and became the first school in the South to assess the entire student body with an audiometer in 1931. Over decades, it pioneered programs in technology, health, and workforce preparation, shaping generations of students.
MEMArtsTech leadership is in conversations across the community to learn from neighbors, students, and teachers about their history in this historic community and their vision for the future of Humes.
Photo caption: Fall 2025: Humes alumni gathered at Dave Wells Community Center to begin the conversation around the renewal of their alma mater.
To learn more about MEMArtsTech, please email memartstech@newballet.org to schedule a tour.