Adaja Cooper (B. 2000, Magnolia, Arkansas) expressed a passion for the arts at an early age. At the age of 17, Adaja experimented with bright colors and immersive portraits, and fell in love with painting ever since. During the summer of 2017, Adaja was accepted into Governor’s School for Visual Art, where she further developed her skills with acrylics and oils. After graduating from high school, she continued developing her passion for art while pursuing a Visual Art major and Business minor at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Along with winning multiple state competitions for art, including AYAA (Arkansas Young Artists Association) her work has featured in national competitions. In 2019, she won third place in the painting category at the National NAACP Act-So Competition in Detroit. She has also had the opportunity to do multiple solo shows at local art galleries, as well as had her work featured in a group exhibit at the Hearne Fine Art Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas. Recently, Adaja has been making an impact with her award-winning Central Arkansas murals. She was also voted a finalist for the Best Artist in Arkansas and was featured on the cover of the Arkansas Times magazine. Adaja has recently graduated from Hendrix College with a Bachelors in Visual Art and is currently completing her Watson Fellowship project around the world.