Amanda Kidd-Kestler

Amanda Kidd-Kestler (b. 1989) is an artist and arts organizer originally from Sag Harbor, New York. She is currently the Executive Director at the New Hampshire Art Association in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. An alumnae of Clark University, Amanda is an internationally-recognized professional art framer, and has taught printmaking classes at her alma mater as an adjunct professor. She served on the Worcester Arts Council from 2017-2019 and was a mover and shaker in the Worcester art scene before moving back to New York. An avid gardener and environmentalist, she is a board member of the Dover Community Garden.

Using printmaking, photography, ceramics, and drawing, Amanda creates artworks that explore themes of femininity, sexuality, art history, and the environment. Her work has been displayed in the Worcester and Fitchburg Art Museums, FPAC Gallery in Boston and ArtsWorcester in Massachusetts, as well as in many galleries regionally. She was awarded an ArtsWorcester 2022 Material Needs Grant, participated in the Village Canoe Floating Artist Residency, as well as The Art Center Artist Residency. She also received the Juror’s Prize awarded by Roger Hankins at ArtsWorcester in 2017 and had work selected for exhibition at the Fitchburg Art Museum via the 2018 Call and Response at ArtsWorcester. She now lives in Dover, New Hampshire.

“Spontaneous mark making is at the center of the Body Map series, drawing inspiration from fragmented figures, seashells, seedpods, and other natural forms impregnated with femininity.”