The Art of Social

      Innovative Interaction

A Massachusetts native, Amanda moved to Raleigh, North Carolina from Los Angeles in 2000. She has a penchant for play, and a background in planning & development, corporate sponsorships, and helping business owners protect their financial assets.

In 2003, Amanda began creating social games for groups. Her games weave together aspects of finance, real estate, and marketing, as a way to quickly meet people in-person through fun entertainment (in groups of 20 to 100's), and thereby create fast bonds.

Amanda fits most aptly into the emerging field of “Social Practice” artists. The “art” of Social Practice is the experience of social rapport and connection that attendees encounter through the artist’s chosen framework.

Part intrigue, part adventure, Amanda’s work seeks to tap into the innate humanity of participants through interactive elements that evoke expansive states of synchronistic flow at scale.

“You can discover more about a person from an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” - Plato

Amanda Carlson, Social Artist & Innovator

Man in suit jacket with short brown hair standing beside a woman with long brown hair in a gold cocktail dress, both are holding sophisticated game pieces.

Paper Game

Party scene with five people in New Years Eve attire holding champagne and cell phones, in front of a tinsel background.

Digital Game (In-Person)

  • social game (paper)   
  • social game  (digital) 
  • custom games & master of ceremonies
Text beside an image of a cellphone with a large game character on it titled TYCOON with gaming instructions

  • Creator Custom / tailored engagement solutions for communities, museums, businesses & third places

  • Developer Easy, scalable rapport-building through entertainment & interactive play

  • Consultant Problem solving through social solutions & Social engagement

  • Speaker Prioritizing healthy, caring relationship tools at scale in today’s high-tech, low trust world (with or without engagement & Master of Ceremonies services)

Recent Project

  • Digital social entertainment (for 20 - 500+)

  • 85% immersive interaction

  • Playable anywhere via smartphone

  • Advancing equity, inclusion, & belonging

  • Advancing income parity: Parley Hosts can set & collect admission fees

The word MAKER in tall black letters against a backlit artistic wall of colorful triangles in a darkened room.

Custom Engagement Solutions (Consultations)

Specialities:

Significant Events

Mural on a brick wall of a beautiful, large eye, with blue, greens and many colors, languidly looking at the viewer

  • 2024 Participant, City of Raleigh’s Public Art Cohort, through Triangle Art Works

  • 2023 "A Night at the Museum," Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, IL with Chance the Rapper / "Social Works"

  • 2021-2023 Development of a social game platform for scalable in-person digital play of “Parley”

  • 2016 Cisco Event Game, San Jose, CA

  • 2015 Cinemagine audio book of magical realism short stories set to music for shared listening

  • 2012 Club Corp Membership Council Game, Raleigh, NC

  • 2012 Leadership Conference custom game development for 3-day event

  • 2012 Leadership Conference custom game development for 3-day event

  • 2012 Clinical Trials Company custom game development

  • 2012 Valentine’s Day Event, City Club, Raleigh, NC

  • 2011 NC State College Event, Raleigh, NC

  • 2011 Executive Women’s Conference, Las Vegas, NV

  • 2010 Biltmore Management Event, Asheville, NC

  • 2009 MPI Carolinas Focus Group, Raleigh, NC

  • 2003-2008 Numerous focus games & market ready practices

Flyer promoting "A Night at the Museum" with Chance the Rapper in Chicago, featuring the logos and companies involved include Fête Games