Amanda Russhell Wallace

Amanda Russhell Wallace is an Assistant Professor of Art at Connecticut College, where she joined the faculty in 2020. As a member of the Art Department, she is developing the lens-based media area of the department, encouraging students to use an expanded, interdisciplinary approach to photography and other lens-based media that combines technical and conceptual concerns.

Wallace received her B.A. in Visual Arts and Psychology from Rice University and her M.F.A. in Photography, Video & Related Media from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

As a lens-based multimedia artist, Wallace's work ranges from documentary family photography to experiments with time-based media. Her practice primarily engages with the archive (records, cemeteries, oral histories) as a site for 'family reunion,' using what she terms 'historical collaging' to interrogate dissociation and disremembering within the formation of selves across time. She explores the im/mutability of personal and collective identity through photographic imagery and its impact on Black visuality. Her technical approach often incorporates isoluminant colors and perceptual effects like the Troxler Effect to create visual experiences reflecting on trauma and memory.

Wallace's artistic output demonstrates consistent engagement with themes of racial trauma, memory practices, and Black visual culture. Her works frequently examine the relationship between color theory, visual perception, and historical narratives, particularly regarding African American experiences. She employs techniques challenging conventional modes of seeing and remembering, using perceptual effects to reflect on trauma and cultural memory.

• 2025 Creative Capital Award in Visual Arts shortlist
• 2021 Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts Research & Development grant
• 2020 Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University Documentary Essay Prize
• 2020 Harnish Fellowship, Smith College
• 2019 Harnish Grant, Smith College
• 2015 One-month artist residency, Laboratory, Spokane, WA
• 2011 Paula Rhodes Memorial Award, MFA Photography, Video & Related Media, School of Visual Arts

As an educator, Wallace guides students to become informed practitioners and consumers of photographic images. Her expertise has been shared through numerous presentations and panel discussions at institutions including Dartmouth College, Harvard University, MIT, and MASS MoCA. Her artistic practice has been supported by various fellowships and residencies that have enabled her creative work exploring the intersections of race, gender, and visual culture.

Wallace maintains an active exhibition schedule with one-person shows at venues like Out of Office (OOO) in Easthampton, MA, Cummings Art Gallery at Connecticut College, and Leo Model Gallery at Hampshire College. Her work has been presented internationally at venues including the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, El Museu Valencià de la Il·lustració i de la Modernitat (MuVIM), Newark Museum of Art, and Flux Factory, demonstrating her significant contribution to contemporary art discourse.