In Practice with Maxwell Harvey-Sampson (M.F.A. in Image Text '25)
Through the interplay of image, text, and collage, Maxwell Harvey-Sampson's work explores queer narratives, personal identity, memory, trauma, and healing.
Currently a candidate in Cornell AAP's M.F.A. in Image Text program, Maxwell Harvey-Sampson is an artist working primarily with photography and writing.
"I think the idea that photographs flatten time allows an artist to reflect on the places they've been since making the photograph," shares Harvey-Sampson. "And finding a relationship between the emotion of writing and the presence of autobiography in the images, you're able to find the enlightenment that maybe you didn't have."
About Maxwell Harvey-Sampson
An artist based in Upstate New York, Maxwell Harvey-Sampson comes from a small Pennsylvania town that instilled in him an interest in and adoration for the other, himself having accepted such a moniker. His resulting images and writing center queer visibility and honesty as a powerful political statement; ultimately, the images elevate the subject to the status of an icon, often referencing Renaissance-era artwork. Harvey-Sampson's writing centers upon unexpected humanity found in adverse situations while providing an irreverent perspective into the struggles he has experienced, as engendered by his mental illness.
About the Master of Fine Arts in Image Text
The Master of Fine Arts in Image Text is a unique, low-residency 25-month program that prepares artists to contribute substantially to the contemporary literary and visual arts. For more information about the program, Virtual Information Sessions will be offered on December 7 and January 11. Application deadline is February 1, 2025.
