COCA Spotlight: Amanda Boekhout “Artist keeps fingers on 'the pulse of life' ”

Though she would first describe herself as a painter, interdisciplinary artist Amanda Boekhout has a special affinity for creating performance art. Her most memorable installation occurred last spring alongside collaborators Carrie Ann Baade and Kelly…

Though she would first describe herself as a painter, interdisciplinary artist Amanda Boekhout has a special affinity for creating performance art.

Her most memorable installation occurred last spring alongside collaborators Carrie Ann Baade and Kelly Gallo at Railroad Square’s First Friday. In conversation with emotions tied to the presidential election results, the three women sought to find their inner goddesses and present the public with a kind of “divine activism,” giving away their artwork as offerings.

“I think having this idealized way of being personified in a goddess character can inspire people to be stronger and more compassionate,” says Boekhout, who is often inspired by mythological figures in her work. “We created these warm, inviting spaces where participants could come in, and we would talk to them about why the goddess lounge exists. That performance was who I am at my core and what I try to present in all the work that I make.”

As a Tallahassee artist, Boekhout says one of her favorite locations in Railroad Square is 621 Gallery. Boekhout was an artist in residence for the gallery back in 2014, and says that she’s always willing to donate her work to their annual Art Auction, which takes place this October. This semester, Boekhout is teaching foundational art classes as an adjunct professor at FSU and Florida A& M University. She says she loves teaching college students as she appreciates their budding energy, making her think back to when she first fell in love with painting.

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