Amanda Shopa

Film Photography & Fiber Arts

Recent Work

Grandfather and the Heron is a piece of woven textile art. Strips of photographic paper, which show a grandfather standing near a stream looking at a heron in the water, are woven with olive green yarn, strips of silk ribbon in greens and blues, velvet ribbon in two shades of green, and metallic gold embroidery floss.
Grandfather and the Heron, 2026
Grandfather and the Heron is a piece of woven textile art. Strips of photographic paper, which show a grandfather standing near a stream looking at a heron in the water, are woven with olive green yarn, strips of silk ribbon in greens and blues, velvet ribbon in two shades of green, and metallic gold embroidery floss.
Grandfather and the Heron (detail), 2026
This black and white photograph features a large sign at the entrance of the Minnesota State Fair. It says "Hang in there, Minnesota." A fence is in the foreground, and a few wispy clouds dot the sky.
Hang in there, Minnesota (front), 2026
"It ain't over til Minnesota has ICE's battle flag." —David Brauer, 2/12/26. Photo notes: This photo was taken in spring of 2020. I chose this photo because a "drawdown" was announced this week, but it feels like smoke and mirrors.
Hang in there, Minnesota (back), 2026
A black-and-white photo shows a tiny apple on a wooden picnic table. Scattered around the apple are tiny pieces of apple flesh pulled off by a bird.
A Robin's Snack, 2026
A black-and-white photo shows lanterns strung overhead at Buddha's Birthday Parade in Seoul, South Korea in May 2024. Paper tags with prayers on them hang from the lanterns. Korean characters, lotus leaves, and a baby Buddha can be seen on the lanters.
Buddha’s Birthday (Jogyesa Temple), 2025
A black-and-white photo shows hundreds, possibly thousands, of lanterns strung up in rows at Buddha's birthday parade in Seoul, South Korea in May 2024. The lanterns are in parallel lines and run through the branches of a gnarled old tree, blocking out the canopy above.
Gnarled Tree (Jogyesa Temple), 2025
This black-and-white photo shows the flat bottom of some lanterns at Buddha's birthday parade in Seoul, South Korea in May 2024. Some ornate illustrations can be seen on each lantern. In the background, you can see the painting present on the underside of the roof of the temple.
Lantern Details (Jogyesa Temple), 2025
A very long striped scarf is arranged on a dress form. This scarf uses color coding to show the daily work I did in my doctoral program, from the day I passed my oral exams to the day of my dissertation defense. Shades of purple are writing tasks, shades of yellow are administrative work, white is rest, and that odd pearl grey color shows my cancer appointments.
Daily Dissertation Diary, 2020–2023
This piece of textile art shows yarn in a variety of colors woven in a circular shape. The rings of color mimic the rings on a tree.
Dendro-Oncology (9:30), 2022
This close-up photo shows part of a piece of textile art. A variety of yarn colors are woven in a circular shape. The rings of color mimic the rings on a tree.
Dendro-Oncology (detail), 2022
A felted ball in shades of blue, white, and green.
Three (One) Dimensions, 2022

Welcome!

I’m Amanda Shopa, a black-and-white film photographer and textile artist living in Minnesota. You can learn more about my weekly postcard project, take a peek at works-in-progress on my blog, or find out about current exhibits through my newsletter.

Curious about anything else? Feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear from you.

Selfie of Amanda Shopa wearing a blue winter coat with a fur-rimmed hood