Amy Stevens: The States Project: Pennsylvania

Amy Stevens: The States Project: Pennsylvania by DeAnn DesiletsApril 19, 2016

©Amy Stevens

We all need inspiration sometimes. I personally find it when I start looking into other people’s bodies of work on blogs, gallery sites, etc. This is precisely what happened to me when I stumbled across Amy Stevens work while on the Silver Eye Center for Photography’s exhibitions page. I was so tickled by her work and how playful it was that I immediately wanted to connect with her about the States Project.

Stevens’ Confections series is so imaginative and clever, not only in her use of color and style but also in the way she incorporates color and style into the narrative. These images contain perfectly, imperfect baked goods that are heavily adorned with sugary bobs and bangles, against bright, playful backdrops and table clothes. You cannot help but smile. When looking through the series, it is easy to appreciate Steven’s view on the sweetness of life, and the beautiful humor you can find and enjoy when things do not always go according to plan.

Amy Stevens has participated in both group and solo shows in major US cities as well as Canada, Ireland, China, and Lithuania. Stevens has notably shown in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Delaware Art Museum, Jen Bekman Gallery in New York and the ShiJia Zhuang Art Museum in China. Amy’s work is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, The Cleveland Art Museum and The Beaverbrook Art Gallery in New Brunswick, Canada. Her work has been published in Real Simple, Russian Esquire, Venus Zine, Prism (Ireland), Vision (Beijing) and French publications étapes and Muze. Currently, Amy has a solo show at the Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington of her new photography and installation work.

Amy Stevens earned an MFA in Photography from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, and a BFA in Photography/Studio Art from Arizona State University. Amy currently resides in Berks County, Pennsylvania with her boyfriend, baby daughter, a corgi and two cats. She teaches at several colleges in the area.

Confections

The Confections photographic series began as a response to my 30th birthday. It was a celebration of birthdays, color, pattern and obsessive absurdity. My original idea was to bake 30 birthday cakes for myself and photograph them. I ordered a cake decorating kit online and watched an instructional video. When I quickly discovered my cakes were never going to look like the ones in the video, I decided to leave them in their exuberantly imperfect states.

In the course of eight years, this series evolved into more of a humorous, feminist, conversation on life and our struggles for perfection.