Born and raised in Texas, Amy Stephens has had a lifelong passion for art, tracing her creative spark back to the days of playing with blocks as a child. Stephens began her professional art career as a muralist in 2012 and has completed 13 public art murals across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She has over a decade of foundry experience, 5 years glass experience, and her work has been showcased in multiple national exhibitions. Currently, Stephens serves as an adjunct studio arts professor and academic advisor, and a hot shop instructor at a local nonprofit glass school and gallery. Stephens is the President of the Texas Sculpture Association. She is also the Artist Liaison for Metro Sports Fieldhouse, a nonprofit that merges STEAM education and athletics for youth in the community.

In Material Guilt, Amy Stephens utilizes left over materials by repurposing them into mixed-media sculptures that challenge the conventional understanding of value and encourages an existential appreciation for material properties. In this exhibition, nothing is discarded, nothing is insignificant, and everything is reimagined. It is an exploration of the tension between creation and waste, a reflection on the artist’s personal struggle with the environmental impact of her work, and a contemplation of the value of everyday materials.

An opening for Material Guilt will take place on Friday, December 6 from 5-7 p.m. This exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information contact Dr. Joni Hand at jhand@semo.edu or (573) 651-2720.