Amanda Nyx, Fiercely Serene Studios

It’s hard to tell you who I am.  I never see myself through the same set of eyes twice.   Some days I see a former athlete who may have pushed too hard a few times; other days I see a young woman continuing to be strong both physically and mentally.  One day I may see myself as a wanna-be creative-type with nothing but a really messy craft room; the next day I may consider myself an artist and take immense pride in my work.  There’s a struggle in there, every day, for which angle is the “right” one.

But recently, I’m starting to learn that perhaps there ISN’T a right way to see myself.  Maybe it’s okay to not always be sure – or even to always be changing.  Not every day will be a proud one, nor will every day be an elated one.  There will be successes and failures and non-starters and great achievements.  And I’m starting to think that maybe I’ve been looking for the wrong things.

With this in mind, I’ve started searching for a different kind of life.  I am embracing freedom (and the uncertainty being free can create) to open myself to new opportunities, to live the life that leads me where I want to be, and to find the right balance inside of myself.  It’s not work-life or social-solitary or inside-outside balance.  It’s the delicate line between when to be fierce and when to be serene.

Artist Curriculum Vitae

Current Positions and Projects:

2022-                Teaching Artist; Cuyahoga County Public Library
2021-                 Flow Dance Instructor; Cleveland Eclectic Dance
2020-                Managing Director; Spontaneously Combustible Apparel
2019-                 Co-founder and Managing Director; Listen CLE
2019-                 IngenuityLabs Coordinator; IngenuityFest
2018-                 Production Manager, Costume and Set Design; Hello Headrush
2018-                 Art Director, Event Manager; McFarland Manor
2018-                 Performance Artist/Dancer, Fine Artist, Workshop Artist, Actress; Fiercely Serene Studios

Past Positions and Projects:

2022                  Art Director; Cleveland Witches Walk
2022                  Teaching Artist; Kaiser Gallery
2020-2021       Managing Director, 48hr Virtual Music Fest
2020-2021       Program Coordinator; Voices Of CLE
2019-2021        Workshop Artist; Northcoast Promotions Inc
2019-2022       Workshop Artist; Cleveland Candle Company
2019-2020       Assistant Art Director; Brite Winter Festival

Performance and Acting:

2023      All In The Timing (Mrs. Trotsky, Waitress), Cuyahoga Community College, Parma OH (upcoming)
2023      Queen of Queens (Rhonda), Short. Sweet. Film Fest, Cleveland OH
2022      Kringle’s Inventionasium (various roles), Cleveland OH
2022      Dancing in the Moonlight (music video), MESSMAKER, Cleveland OH
2022      Dracula (Maid, Vixen, Attendant), Chagrin Valley Little Theater, Chagrin Falls OH
2022      Newsies (Hannah), Chagrin Valley Little Theater, Chagrin Falls OH
2022      Candlelight Hypothesis (Special Host), Cleveland Public Theater, Cleveland OH
2022      Two Girls Dead (Celina), Short. Sweet. Film Fest, Cleveland OH – Winner, “Outstanding Musical Score”
2022      Into the Depths Workshop, Cleveland Public Theater, Cleveland OH
2021-     Regional touring performer, VegFest Expos (NC/SC/TN)
2020      More Than You Believe You Are (music video), MESSMAKER, Cleveland OH
2020      Troupe member, Fire and Light Performing Arts
2019-     National touring performer, Wizard World Comic Convention Series
2019-     Flow, dance, and fire spinning performance artist, Fiercely Serene Studios

Featured Installations:

2022     Rites of Spring Passage, The New Moon, Lakewood OH
2022     Crystal Cave, Brite Winter Festival, Cleveland OH
2022     Syncretism, Brite Winter Festival, Cleveland OH
2022     Dream Gate 2.0, Brite Winter Festival, Cleveland OH
2021     Crystal Snow Globe Window, The New Moon, Lakewood OH
2021     NOLA Up North (stage decor and signage), Witches Walk, Lakewood OH
2021     Roller Rink Rainbow, Rollin Buckeyez Foundation, Cleveland OH (collaboration with Ingenuity Cleveland)
2020     VOTE Mural Series, Cleveland OH (collaboration with Ingenuity Cleveland)
2020     Crystal Elementals Fairy Doors, Holden Arboretum, Kirtland OH
2020     COVID Cave, InsideOut Project at Space:Rock, Cleveland OH
2020     Fluri’s Scrapbook Game, Brite Winter Festival, Cleveland OH (collaboration with Michael McFarland, Emily Applebaum, and John Kasunich)
2020     Grandpa’s Basement Bar, Brite Winter Festival, Cleveland OH (collaboration with Michael McFarland)
2019     Zen SoundScapes, IngenuityFest, Cleveland OH (collaboration with Michael McFarland)
2019     Syncretism, FireFish Festival, Lorain OH
2019     The Process, Rooms to Let, Cleveland OH (collaboration with AIR 216)
2019     Dream Gate, Dreamers Bal, Cleveland OH
2019     Dream Chandeliers, Dreamers Bal, Cleveland OH
2019     Dream Beds, Dreamers Bal, Cleveland OH (collaboration with Michael McFarland)
2019     Train, Brite Winter Festival, Cleveland OH (collaboration with Eugene Zbarash)
2019     Train Escape Game, Brite Winter Festival, Cleveland OH (collaboration with Michael McFarland)

Exhibitions:

2021     Hard Edges/Soft Edges, Prama Artspace and Gallery, Parma OH (duo)
2020     Crystalline Worlds I, Cafe Phix Midtown, Cleveland OH (solo)
2020     Crystalline Worlds II, Edison’s Tremont, Cleveland OH (solo)

Large-Scale Commissions:

2019     Moon Bench, painting and decoration, Sapphire Creek Winery Summer Solstice Party, Chagrin Falls OH (collaboration via Ingenuity                                      Cleveland)
2019     Into the Manor, painting and prayer flag decoration, ManorFest Music & Arts Festival, Cleveland OH

Awards/Grants/Fellowships:

2022     artSTART Grant, Ohio Arts Council, Columbus OH (for #ListenCLE program)
2022     Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Match Fund Grant, ioby, Cleveland OH (for #ListenCLE program)
2022     Ignite! Impact Award, Ingenuity Cleveland, Cleveland OH (for #ListenCLE program)
2021     Awesome Grant, Awesome Foundation, Cleveland OH (for #ListenCLE program)
2020     Ignite! Leadership Award, Ingenuity Cleveland, Cleveland OH
2019     Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Match Fund Grant, ioby, Cleveland OH (for Zen SoundScapes project)

Education:

2018-         Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland OH (studio art, art therapy, marketing)
2008-12    MA/PhD Art History and Archaeology, Ohio State University, Columbus OH (non-terminal program, incomplete)
2004-08   BA Religious Studies/Asian Studies/International Studies, Kenyon College, Gambier OH
2007          Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China (art and language studies)