About Amy
Amy Boone- McCreesh was born on Loring Air Force Base in Maine to a British mother and American father. Currently she is based in Baltimore, MD with interests in the connections between aesthetic leanings within economic and cultural status. She has a heightened visual awareness of the ways people and spaces flaunt class, taste, and access. Amy received her MFA from Towson University in Maryland, and shortly thereafter was awarded a two-year Hamiltonian Artist Fellowship in Washington, DC.… more
Views
Views series:
Architecture appears to us globally in classist ways, through city planning, grand visual details and the views out of windows, manmade spaces define the humans they serve. Decorative clues, small and large, signify power and access. Small details such as Fresh flowers confirm access while a large home, beautiful views, and an expensive car flaunt power. Cultural aesthetics, passed down through families, such as color choices and fabrics in a home are often judged by others perceptions of good and bad taste. All of these aspects tell a story about socio economic positioning. These works on paper are a straight forward explorations of views, while the installation and sculptural pieces embody what it's like to be in a beautiful and maximal space. All works have the goal of questioning our level of access to beauty in our lives and the determining factors surrounding and mirroring our socio-economic status. Living in Baltimore city for over ten years, and being home-centered during the pandemic have helped shaped Boone-McCreesh’s newest View series.
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Garden View with Upholstered Window SeatGarden View with Upholstered Window Seat 2019 Mixed media and cut paper, beads, found objects 35” x 27” x .5"
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Home with barsHome (with bars) 2020 Mixed media and collage on paper 47” x 38” x .5”
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As the World BurnsAs the World Burns 2020 Mixed media and collage on paper 44” x 33.5” x .5”
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Sunrise and Sunset in the CitySunrise and Sunset in the City 2020 Mixed media and collage on paper 34.5” x 28.5” x .5"
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Interior DecorInterior Decor 45” x 43” x 2” Mixed media and collage on paper 2021
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City GardenCity Garden view 64” x 42” x .5” Mixed media and collage on paper 2021
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Purple Curtains at the CabinPurple Curtains at a Cabin 38” x 29” x .5” Mixed media and collage on paper 2021
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The View"The View" 2017, Mixed media garlands, wood, vinyl, latex paint with custom-patterned ottomans 332” x 135” x 107”
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AbundanceAbundance (permanent installation at Facebook, Washington DC) 2019 Acrylic, wood, steel, paper, latex paint, mixed media 26’ x 8’ x 6”
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Room with a View"Room with a View" Installation for Visarts, Maryland 2020 Foam, custom silk, vinyl, wood, mixed media garlands 90'l x 7' high x 4' deep
Dream Sellers
Consider the life peddled to you - through pervasive cultural bias, gender stereotypes, and capitalism. The way your home looks, how you clothe yourself, access to nature and beauty. These are all topics ripe in the works of Alex Ebstein and Amy Boone-McCreesh. Dream Sellers examines the markers of success through the lens of societal pressures. Artists have long held mirrors to the worlds in which they live and Ebstein and Boone-McCreesh visually unravel what it means to exist today in a series of tactile, mixed media works. Topics including body shape preferences, advertising, slick store displays, and do- mestic life are pulled apart to question long held assumptions on class and the notion of upward mobility.
Amy Boone-McCreesh utilizes maximal aesthetics and visual tropes of grandeur in a new series that conflates window views and consumption of luxury goods. Her formative experiences growing up in a low socio-economic setting have led to further examinations of markers of success and how they manifest visually. The commodified access to beauty and nature mix with a knee-jerk opposition to notions of “good” taste in her colorful mixed-media spaces. Hand-cut collaged works on paper are informed by the labor of craft and domesticity. This is countered by the precise geometry of interior spaces and the machine-cut, synthetic materials present in the curtain-like window hangings and wall charms. Borrowing from the world she inhabits, Boone-McCreesh aspires to visually delight while questioning the prominent tastes of cultural acceptance.
Together, Alex and Amy probe at the standards and aesthetic perimeters that ensnare women, asking questions through their visual vocabularies. Mimicking the culture being sold to them, they aim to create “beauty” while testing the exclusionary limitations of the concept. The moving target of success, as it relates to the pressure to have a certain home or domestic life, fitness goals, trend conformity and other slippery milestones, tinges their work with an inescapable anxiety. Underscoring their mutual fascination with brand collaborations, limited editions and the mechanism of scarcity in art, beauty and fashion, the artists worked together to create a set of small sculptures that straddle high and low aesthetics.
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Dream Sellers exhibition view"Dream Sellers" Exhibition view
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Dream Sellers exhibition viewSite specific installation at Victori + Mo gallery in New York, 2020 Latex wall painting, framed works on paper, acrylic and mixed media garlands
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Dream Sellers exhibition viewSite specific installation at Victori + Mo gallery in New York, 2020 Latex wall painting, framed works on paper, acrylic and mixed media garlands
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VM20200908_03_web.jpgDream Sellers, exhibition view 2020
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Dream Sellers exhibition viewDetail view of mixed media curtain, acrylic, paper, found objects, beads 2020
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Custom Charms - Detail from Dream SellersCustom charms 2020 Acrylic, wood, found objects Detail of "Dream Sellers" exhibition view
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Dream Seller CharmsDream Seller Charms Mixed media, laser cut acrylic, found objects, beads 2020
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Custom Charms - Detail from Dream SellersCustom Charms - Detail from Dream Sellers Custom charms 2020 Acrylic, wood, found objects Detail of "Dream Sellers" exhibition view
Luxury Items - works on paper 2018-2020
These mixed media and collage works on paper and sculptural forms made in the last two years. With this work I aim to explore a decorative and maximal aesthetic while employing collage and efficient ways of connecting and folding paper to create organic shaped drawings. The pieces in this category are worked on both sides and then cut and folded to reveal the visual vocabulary on the back. Decisions on compositions are made as more pieces are cut and folded, creating an intuitive process that is rooted in pattern, mark-making, and heavy labor in repetitive paper cutting.
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Bag (take only what you need)Bag (take only what you need) 2020 Mixed media, collage, fabric, beads on paper 35" x 22.5” x 1.5”
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Bag (take only what you need) DetailBag (take only what you need) Detail 2020 Mixed media, collage, fabric, beads on paper 35" x 22.5” x 1.5”
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Custom PillowcaseCustom Pillowcase 2020 Mixed media and collage on cut paper 24” x 34” x.5"
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Shop til you Drop2018, Mixed media and collage on paper with found objects, 52” x 34” x 3”
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Shop Til you Drop (detail)Shop Til You Drop 2018 Mixed media and collage on paper with found objects 52” x 34” x 3”
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Status Symbols2018, Mixed media and collage on paper, 66” x 44” x 3”
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Animal Skin Rug2018, Mixed media and collage on paper, 66” x 39” x 1”
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Souvenir Change Purse (wish you were here)2018, Mixed media and collage on paper, "55” x 29” x 1.5”
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Souvenir Change Purse (detail)Souvenir Change Purse (detail) 2018, Mixed media and collage on paper, "55” x 29” x 1.5”
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Decro Foliage IDecro foliage I, 2017 Mixed media on cut paper, 44” x 30” x 2” installed with wall vinyl and latex paint of opposing colors
Objects of Desire
The exhibition features an adaptation of a prior installation, The View. This piece creates a space meant to be reminiscent of looking into or out of an idyllic view. Views, in our neighborhoods and our surroundings are the thing we pay a premium for, yet the scene being viewed is ultimately free. Our surroundings, domestic and geographic are also an indication of access and economic structure. Naturally-inspired garlands and man-made surfaces clash in this piece to create a space that is both immersive and contained. All of the work in the show is multi-media, employing accessible materials as well as technology to further the conversation around consumption and craft.
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Objects of Desire, exhibition view2018, Custom wall painting, works on paper, custom linoleum flooring, 12’ x 10’ wall
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Objects of Desire, exhibition view2018, Custom wall painting, works on paper, custom linoleum flooring, 12’ x 10’ wall
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Objects of Desire, exhibition view2018, Custom wall painting, framed work on paper, custom linoleum flooring, custom shelving, mixed media garland and found objects, mesmerism pendant light 6’ x 10’ wall painting shown
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Flower Vase (framed) in Objects of Desire installation2018, Custom wall painting, framed work on paper, custom shelving, mixed media garlands and found objects
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The View II2018, Mixed media garlands, metallic vinyl, 5' x 10.5' x 3.5'
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Mesmerism Pendant Lights2018, Collaboration between Amy Boone-McCreesh and Jess Hammer for the installation "Objects of Desire" Copper, acrylic, brass, stone, fabric, beads, mixed media 3’ of ornamented cord
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Mesmerism Pendant Lights detail2018, Copper, acrylic, brass, stone, fabric, beads, mixed media 3’ of ornamented cord
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Shelf detail, Objects of Desire installation2018, wall painting, custom shelf and flooring, mixed media garlands and found objects
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Charm Wall, Objects of Desire installationIndividual charms created as accessible art pieces for "Objects of Desire" exhibition. Acrylic, stone, beads, mixed media. 2018
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Detail of shelves, Objects of Desire2018, mixed media garlands, Found objects, custom shelves
Luxury Items - sculptural works
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Vanity Wall HangingVanity Wall Hanging 2019 Digital print and mixed media on silk and vinyl, steel brackets, acrylic and mixed media charms 64” x 39” x 7” Inspired by the highly branded items and clothing associated with high fashion, this piece repeats my name in the place of a brand. This work considers the artist as commodity and what we accept as being of high cultural and financial value
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Vanity wall Hanging (detail)Vanity Wall Hanging 2019 Digital print and mixed media on silk and vinyl, steel brackets, acrylic and mixed media charms 64” x 39” x 7” Inspired by the highly branded items and clothing associated with high fashion, this piece repeats my name in the place of a brand as well as past artworks as imagery. This work considers the artist as commodity and what we accept as being of high cultural and financial value.
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Vanity wall Hanging (detail)Vanity Wall Hanging (detail) Custom designed and printed silk, laser cut acrylic, acrlic tubes, custom steel brackets, custom wall vinyl
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Lucky CharmsLucky Charms 25” x 14” x 1.5” Mixed media on panel, Foam, epoxy clay, found objects, acrylic, beads, and cut lottery cards 2021
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Window BarsWindow Bars 2020 Wood, plaster, custom printed silk
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Designer TabletopsDesigner Tabletops 2019 Foam, Acrylic, custom silk, mixed media garlands, wall painting
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The WindowThe Window 2017 Wood, custom fabric, mixed media garlands, cut paper 44” x 32” x 3” This piece is one of the earliest 'window' pieces - exploring what it means to have a view and what may be contained in that view. This piece also has a formal connection to painting and interaction of 2D and 3D spaces.
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Fruits of Our Labor IIFruits of our Labor II 2017, Acrylic, foam, fabric, mixed media, cut paper, found objects, 31” x 28” x 22” This piece references a table top spilling over with an abundance of goods. The title questions how we spend our money and what we consider to be worthy. Dutch still life paintings, that depicted opulence through access to fresh fruits, flowers, and meat were also an inspiration.
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Fruits of Our Labor I (detail)2017, Acrylic, wood, fabric, mixed media, cut paper, found objects 47” x 24” x 21”
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Fruits of Our Labor IFruits of our Labor I 2017, Acrylic, wood, fabric, mixed media, cut paper, found objects 47” x 24” x 21” This piece references a table top spilling over with an abundance of goods. The title questions how we spend our money and what we consider to be worthy. Dutch still life paintings, that depicted opulence through access to fresh fruits, flowers, and meat were also an inspiration.
Taste and Privilege exhibition views
The exhibition as a whole dances around the idea of aesthetic taste and the way it forms culturally. Maximal installations and works on paper, as well as sculptural forms and intense color combinations are the primary vehicles for the show.
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Taste and Privilege exhibition viewMixed media installation "Taste and Privilege" at York College in Pennsylvania.
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Taste and Privilege (exhibition view)Exhibition view showing sculptural table top piece, works on paper, and painted walls to reference columns and 'important' spaces
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Depictions of PowerDepictions of Power, 2017 Center wall: Custom fabric, vinyl, mixed media garlands Pillars: Acrylic, foam, custom fabric, mixed media garlands, floor vinyl 7’ h x 13’ w x 10.5’ d Pillars range from 3.3’ to 4.5’ Part of the exhibition "Taste and Privilege" at York College in Pennsylvania
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Depictions of PowerDepictions of Power, 2017 Center wall: Custom fabric, vinyl, mixed media garlands Pillars: Acrylic, foam, custom fabric, mixed media garlands, floor vinyl 7’ h x 13’ w x 10.5’ d Pillars range from 3.3’ to 4.5’ Detail view
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Fruits of our Labor IFruits of our Labor I, 2017 Acrylic, wood, fabric, mixed media, cut paper, found objects, 47” x 24” x 21” A sculptural piece that exists somewhere between tabletop, pillar, and sculpture. Using maximal decorative elements to reference fruit, or excess, and how we choose to spend our money in the Western World.
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The View"The View" site specific installation at York College in Pennsylvania. 2017 Wood, latex paint, mixed media garlands, wall vinyl 332” x 135” x 107”
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Taste and Privilege exhibition viewTaste and Privilege exhibition view, 2017 Corner view of a larger exhibition. Featuring mixed media works on paper, sculpture and custom ottomans for seating
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The view, exhibition viewThe view, exhibition view, 2017 Mixed media garlands, wood, vinyl, latex paint, 332” x 135” x 107” Shown with custom ottomans for seating
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The ViewThe View, 2017 Mixed media garlands, wood, vinyl, latex paint 332” x 135” x 107”
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Taste and Privilege exhibition viewTaste and Privilege exhibition view, at York College in PA, 2017
Works on Paper - 2015 - 2017
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Inherent StrengthMixed Media and found objects on cut paper 49" x 42.5" x 3.5"
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Inherent Strength detaildetail
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In the Flamingo BrushMixed Media on cut paper 17" x 15" x 1.5"
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Pineapple BeehiveMixed Media and found objects on cut paper 42" x 33" x 3"
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Peony TombstoneMixed media on cut paper 31" x 26" x 2"
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Jack Rabbit, Moments of RestMixed media and collage on cut paper 30" x 50" x 2" 2016
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Jack Rabbit, Moments of Rest (detail)2016 mixed media and collage on paper, detail
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JellyMixed media and collage on cut paper 23" x 21" x 1.5" 2016
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Ocean HeaddressOcean Headdress 2017, Mixed media and collage on paper, 29" x 20" x 1"
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Eyelash Shrimp, Elephant Earsmixed media on cut paper 22" x 17" x 2"
Negotiating Spaces, 2021
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Access to Beauty IAccess to Beauty I 2021 Mixed media and collage on paper 31 x 22 in
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Access to beauty IIAccess to Beauty II 2021 Mixed media and collage on paper 31 x 23 in.
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Neighbors are WatchingThe Neighbors are Watching 2021 Mixed media and collage on paper, beads 42.5 x 32.5 x .5 in
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Stormy Skies AheadStormy Skies Ahead 2021 Mixed media and collage on paper 38 x 32.5 in.
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Access to Beauty, exhibition view"Access to Beauty" installation view, with "good luck charm" garlands latex paint on wall and custom steel brackets with acrylic tube
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Access to Beauty, exhibition viewAccess to Beauty II Exhibition view
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Good luck charm garland detail"Good Luck Charm" garland detail 2021
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Good luck charm garland detailDetail of "Good Luck Charms" The garlands hung on faux painted curtains, framing the artwork on the wall Cut paper, laser cut acrylic plastic, lottery tickets, found objects
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Exhibition viewNegotiating Spaces exhibition view 2021