Amalia Amaki facts for kids

Amalia K. Amaki (born Lynda Faye Peek, July 8, 1949) is an amazing African-American artist. She is also an art historian, teacher, film critic, and curator. A curator is someone who manages and organizes art collections for museums. Amaki used to teach art at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa from 2007 to 2012.

Amalia Amaki: Artist and Historian

Amalia K. Amaki is known for her unique art. She combines different materials in her work. She also teaches about art and helps organize art shows.

Early Life and Education

Lynda Faye Peek was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the fourth of six daughters. Her father, Norman Vance Peek, was a singer. Amalia loved art from a young age. She knew she wanted to be an artist.

When she was about 10, she met the famous African American painter Hale Woodruff. He inspired her art. At just 13, she sold her first artwork. She made still lifes from yarn and burlap bags. These were shown in a furniture store. A customer bought her art along with the furniture.

Peek graduated from Georgia State University in Atlanta in 1971. She earned degrees in journalism and psychology. In 1978, she changed her name to Amalia K. Amaki. Soon after, she moved to New Mexico. There, she studied photography and art history at the University of New Mexico.

Amaki continued her studies at Emory University in Atlanta. She earned her master's degree in 1992. Then, she got her Ph.D. in 1994. Her Ph.D. focused on American art and culture from the 1900s.

Amaki has taught art history at many colleges. These include Spelman College and Morehouse College in Atlanta. She also taught at the University of Delaware. From 2001 to 2007, she was a curator there. She managed the Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art. After that, she taught art at the University of Alabama until 2012.

Her Unique Artwork

Amaki's art explores African-American life and culture. She often uses photographs in her pieces. These photos are often placed in boxes, quilts, or fans. She adds interesting items to her art. These include buttons, beads, flowers, and fabric scraps. These are called "found objects."

Amaki started working with buttons as a child. Her mother gave them to her to play with. Her art also includes "photo quilts." These are made using a special photo process called cyanotype. She also creates large digital photos on fabric. These portraits help discuss ideas about culture and identity.

Where You Can See Her Art

Amaki's artworks are in many private collections. You can also find them in major museums. Some of these include:

• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in Houston, Texas.
• The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.
• The Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul, Minnesota.
• The University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.
• The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina.
• The Albany Museum of Art in Albany, Georgia.
• The Hammonds House Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.
• The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA-GA) in Atlanta, Georgia.
• The Tubman African American Museum in Macon, Georgia.

Special Art Shows

Amaki's art has been shown in many exhibitions.

• "Amalia Amaki: Boxes, Buttons and the Blues" was a big show. It featured 80 of her mixed-media works. This show was a team effort between the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. It opened in Washington, D.C., in 2005. Then it moved to Atlanta in 2006.
• "Homage: Poems and Images of Gratitude and Affection" was another exhibition. It was shown at the Arnold Art Gallery at Shorter University in 2011. Later, it was at The Art Gallery at Eissey Campus in 2014.