Amelia Calsi was excited to join the Groundswell project as Studio Associate in 2015 and is now the Studio Arts Manager.  Holding a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a minor in psychology from Hunter College, Amelia firmly believes in the positive impact that art fosters in individuals as well as in the social structures they create. For her, art is not only a tool that allows for personal reflection, creating an emotional outlet to process this thing that is the human condition, but also as a language that strengthens communities, bringing people together to share their stories and connect with each other. She has worked with Alzheimer patients as the Arts and Activities Coordinator at Renewal Care and has taken part in the community based arts collaborative Clash House Productions as their curator. In her own work, she seeks to express beauty in unconventional ways and challenge the preset ideologies of the current culture.