Born Linda Fay Peek in 1959 in Atlanta, Amalia Amaki earned her doctoral degree in twentieth-century American art from Emory University. She has taught art history at Spelman College, Morehouse College, Atlanta College of Art, Kennesaw State University, and the University of Alabama. Her art examines African American life and culture through the use of and manipulation of photography and found objects, such as beads, buttons, and mirrors.