Amanda Lipari Maxson was raised in Northern California, and spent most of her childhood surrounded by the foggy coastal forests and mediterranean climate. It was easy to find direct inspiration in the world around her, but after moving to Medford she was able to expand her sources of inspiration, finding beauty in suburban life. Studying environmental science and studio art at SMFA and Tufts University offered space to question how she could incorporate her scientific studies into her practice. She now aims to use different artistic forms to implicate the viewer into environmental issues through interaction and careful observation. She hopes that the attention and care required to appreciate art might translate to people's experience and relationship to our environment, and work to complicate the binaries between human and natural systems.
Her interests lie in the intricate balance of food webs, and the ways in which we affect the ecosystems around us in ways we might not realize or expect. She is very interested in artistic processes as a way of contemplating and grappling with environmental issues and their emotional ramifications. The act of turning ideas into form is also something which endlessly fascinates her, and keeps her excited about generating work.
Outside of her practice Amanda enjoys roller skating, photosynthesizing, obsessing over all dogs, troubleshooting bread recipes, and playing in fiber arts.
