Amanda Dalla Villa Adams is an independent curator, art writer, educator, and historian based in Richmond, Virginia. She has extensive university teaching experience, and has presented her research internationally, and chaired panels at the annual Mid-America College Art Association and Southeastern College Art conferences. Amanda has contributed art criticism for national publications including Artforum and Hyperallergic. She is the mother to 3 children, all 5 and under!
In this episode Amanda and I break down the kind of work she is drawn to as a curator and critic. She walks us through her early journey with personal rejection, finding her way through academia and her decision to focus on the academic side of the art world, rather than the studio/artmaking side. We talk about her dive into art writing and her goals for the future once her kids are in school. We share an honest conversation about staying at home with our kids while they are young; what that experience affords us and what challenges it poses… mostly the head space to do critical thinking!
Towards the end of the episode we have a great conversation about the ways in which social media influences art making. I ask for Amanda’s advice on ways to consume valuable art and visual culture and she offers some resources for us. She also talks honestly about her experience during the past few years feeling like she is “floundering”… not having a clear vision for her path as an art writer. I so appreciate Amanda’s vulnerability and know you will too!
You can connect with Amanda via her website (https://amandadallavillaadams.weebly.com) where she links to many of the art reviews she has done and the shows she has curated. She is also on instagram @amandadallavillaadams
Installation variable, each object approx. 25x12x54 in.
Wax, pigment, printed cotton, bamboo sticks, dowel rods, 20 gauge annealed wire, muslin
Installation variable, approx. 60x84x3.5in
bullet shells, wax, pigment, 20 gauge annealed wire
Installation variable, approx. 15×5.5×7.5ft
Embroidery floss, muslin, leather chair and ottoman, The Wall St. Journal, wood molding, paint, liquid fabric starch
Installation variable approx. 180x8x144in.
White chocolate, embroidery floss, 20 gauge annealed wire, chenille yarn
Installation variable approx. 5×1.5x9ft and digital print 18x24in. Heavy duty nylon, packing styrofoam, zippers, hooks, thread, elastic, cotton, fantastic fun foam, sandwich bags, snap closures, closet hardware, digital print, frame
