The Genius of Amanda Williams

John Hill

13. October 2022

Photo: Screenshot from "Color(ed) Theory, Amanda Williams" by Spirit of Space

Chicago-based architect and artist Amanda Williams is one of 25 recipients of 2022 MacArthur "Genius" Fellowships, as announced on Wednesday, October 12. Learn about how her "works visualize the ways urban planning, zoning, development, and disinvestment impact the lives of everyday residents" in two short films.

The MacArthur Foundation further says that "Amanda Williams is an artist who uses ideas around color and architecture to explore the intersection of race and the built environment." A short film from the MacArthur Foundation introduces Williams:

The most well-known work by Williams to date is Color(ed) Theory (2014–2015), in which "Williams, along with family and friends, covertly painted empty houses slated for demolition in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood." The clips of Color(ed) Theory in the MacArthur video come from a short film made by Spirit of Space:

All of the 2022 MacArthur Fellows can be seen on the MacArthur Foundation website. Amanda Williams is being singled out here as the sole 2022 recipient in the "Architecture and Environmental Design" category. Previous recipients in the category include landscape and public artist Walter Hood and urban designer Emmanuel Pratt in 2019, and landscape architect Kate Orff and designer/urban planner Damon Rich in 2017.