About

Artist Statement

My work intertwines traditional stained glass techniques with design elements taken from public infrastructure and transit vehicles—expressing my fascination with both beautiful and utilitarian objects. Using hundreds of hand-cut stained glass pieces, I build sculptures that reference the mundane forms that urban dwellers encounter day-to-day, such as the street sign or subway pole.

Particularly, I’m interested in how an artistic approach to transportation design can challenge the stigmas American society holds around government-funded public spaces. Reimagining these architectural elements of public space into ornate sculptures begs us to question our perception of beauty, dwelling, and community; and to analyze the connections between public transit, class, and mobility. However, the fragile glass is an acknowledgement that beautiful objects alone won’t improve American mobility and urbanism.

Bio

Amanda Smithivas is a sculptor and fabricator best known for her innovative approach to structural stained glass. She combines traditional glass techniques with contemporary forms as a method for critiquing the public perspective of urban dwelling, beauty, class, and mobility. Amanda has exhibited her work nationally in museums and galleries across the US, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Woman Made Gallery, the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago, the Var Small Works Gallery, and most recently at the Westmoreland Museum in Greensburg, PA.

She is the 1st place recipient of the 2026 Grilled Cheese Grant and an awardee of the 2026 ISC Outstanding Student Achievement Award. She is also a member of the Milwaukee-based artist collective, Barrel O' Monkeys. Amanda graduated with her BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and is based between Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL.