About/CV
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:
2023- Teaching Artist; BAYarts
2023- Artist Program Board; FireFish Festival
2022- Teaching Artist; Cuyahoga County Public Library
2021- Flow Dance Instructor; Cleveland Eclectic Dance
2020- Managing Director; Spontaneously Combustible Apparel
2019- 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 Not a Day Over Fabulous (Hot Mom), One of a KIND Theater, Beachwood OH
2023 Dancing in the Moonlight (music video), MESSMAKER, Cleveland OH
2023 All In The Timing (Mrs. Trotsky, Waitress), Cuyahoga Community College, Parma OH
2023 Queen of Queens (Rhonda), Short. Sweet. Film Fest, Cleveland OH
2022 Kringle’s Inventionasium (various roles), 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:
2023 S.S. Brite, Brite Winter Festival, Cleveland OH
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, theater, 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)