Amanda Dunbar

Amanda Dunbar (born 1982) is a Texas-based artist who gained acclaim at an early age for her oil painting skills. Amanda Dunbar began painting in an after school art class at the age of 13. Her spontaneous and advanced works acquired significant interest immediately. Dunbar is currently listed as a prodigy of the visual arts in the current textbooks for advanced university education entitled Child Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

Early life and education Amanda Dunbar was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 4 and attended Orleans Wood Elementary School. Dunbar moved with her family to Allen, Texas. where she attended Ford Middle School and graduated from Allen High School in 2000.

Dunbar graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas with a BFA in 2004. She graduated cum laude with departmental distinction. Dunbar was named State Artist of Texas in 2005. She went on to study abroad in France, Italy and Spain. She acquired a post baccalaureate certification at the Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art in 2006. In 2006 she also became the youngest honoree on record and is the only painter to date to be inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. She was 23 at the time and honored in the arts category. In 2009 Dunbar was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from Southern Methodist University for Emerging Leadership. Earlier in the year she was awarded the 2009 Americanism Medal by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Career Dunbar began painting at the age of 13 and had a solo exhibition in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 16. Of the 68 paintings on display, most sold on the opening night with sales totaling over $500,000. The success of her showing prompted national media attention and she has been profiled since in numerous magazines and print media including People, Southern Living and ARTnews. She has appeared on TV shows including Oprah (twice). Dunbar publicly credits the talk show host for inspiring her business model and philanthropic goals particularly after she took over control of her studio art business from what she considered bad management at the age of 18.

At the age of 15, Dunbar made a decision to become an advocate for children's and artist's causes. She took part in a documentary entitled The Artist in Me that became a special feature on Mattel's Barbie as Rapunzel DVD, released in 2002 to inspire creativity among children. She also became an ambassador to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2004. Dunbar has donated to charities including the Grammy's MusiCares Foundation. ABC World News profiled the artist in 2007 as a "Person of the Week" when Charles Gibson discovered that she had quietly donated over a million dollars to various causes. Dunbar frequently speaks to youth, (girls in particular) and artists on a range of topics. Her art guitars from the collection are among the most expensive guitars in the world. The collection is named as a subtle tribute to Oprah Winfrey, whom the artist states is "the most precious rebel on earth" and remains a significant influence to the artist's life today. The Early Show, CBS World News Tonight, ABC Good Morning Texas, ABC PBS CNN Designing Texas Dick Clark's The Other Half "Our Town Hero", CBS 11 Soap Talk "The Spirit of Texas", News 8, ABC Living Large The Artist in Me short documentary by Mattel entertainment

Honors and awards Southern Methodist University Distinguished Alumni Award: 2009 Daughters of the American Revolution Americanism Medal: 2009 Texas Women's Hall of Fame: 2006 Ambassador to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children