Hello! I am Amy Miller, an arts worker who feels at home in many places. My journey has taken me down an unusual path and along the way, I have learned a great deal about myself and the world in which I live.
The primary focus of my career has been community engagement within the performing arts – the practice of facilitating opportunities for individuals and communities to learn and explore through interactions with artists and creative processes. At the core of my work lies the importance of connecting the mind and body, emphasizing the practice of listening, and understanding there are a multitude of perspectives that make up the whole. When these guiding principles are centered within a project, trust can grow between communities and great change can blossom. I have witnessed just that various times in my career! Thus, I am committed to designing circular models for engaging together via the arts – models in which all who are involved benefit.
I have lived and worked with artists and communities in three different regions of the U.S. – the Midwest, the East Coast, and the South. I have been both an agent/manager and a presenter/programmer within the performing arts field. I have represented artists within the booking arena and have designed and produced programming at three different performing arts centers – Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, and Gogue Performing Arts Center. My lived experiences span the North and the South of the U.S., as well as large cities, mid-sized cities, suburbia, and rural communities. Because of this, I am well-aware of inequities at play within our society and believe we are in great need of holistic dialogues that offer varying perspectives from varying communities.
I also received my Masters of Art from New York University’s Tisch School of the Art, where I studied philosophies supporting my own creative practice and professional experience. We too often separate the worlds of theory and practice, so I am passionate about fostering connection between the two.
And I love to move!! Yes, in terms of moving myself across the country and world to explore new perspectives, but also in terms of my body. I am an avid social dancer, and my happy place is on a dance floor.
I now live in Waverly, Alabama – home of Standard Deluxe and a thriving, creative community. I am proud to be a Southern resident, and I am eager to tell you WHY!
A dozen random things about me:
My favorite quote is simple and was said by the late visionary and community developer Paul Wellstone: “We all do better when we all do better.”
I’m a big fan of circles, and it is said that all ancient excavated cultures utilized symbols of spirals and circles. Many movement forms are based on circles, the drum is a circle, and circular tables offer equal positioning and views of the center. What are the circles in your life that you appreciate?
I am always intrigued to hear and learn about forms of music from around our globe. I couldn’t be without music in my life.
During undergrad, I studied abroad in Italy and researched global pressures on Italian women regarding national aesthetics and fashion. It ignited my interest in interviewing people as a tool of ethnographic research.
As a toddler, my parents gave me the nickname PK…for “powder keg.”
I studied at the Dagara Music Center in Medie, Ghana – a town just outside of Accra. That experience opened-up a world for me, as I learned from Ghanaian artists, including master gyil (xylophone) player Bernard Woma and the members of Saakumu Dance Troupe. My time in Ghana launched me on a path further studying West African movement. I continued to work with Saakumu and was a company member of Tiyumba, a Minneapolis-based dance/drum company directed by Ghanaian artist and teacher Fatawu Sayibu.
I started my career in refugee resettlement and co-founded Twin Cities World Refugee Day – a day-festival now in its 17th year!
I once danced with a Zapatista man in Oventic – the center of Zapatista territories in Chiapas, Mexico. His face was covered in a balaclava, yet I could see his smile via his eyes and could feel his breadth through the mask as we danced a fast-pace norteña two-step to the band playing across the muddy dance floor. The joy of music and social dance even translates through masks.
I have a great appreciation for textile arts and enjoy collecting them during my travels. It is an honor to own durational pieces – ones that have taken a great deal of time to accomplish. The patience, skill, detail, and creativity woven into each item, often made by women’s hands, is astonishing. And I am intrigued by how textiles incorporate art and cultural expression into everyday life and hold wisdom that has been passed on generation after generation.
I was fortunate to be in Dublin with activist friends the weekend the country voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Ireland was the first country that changed their constitution around the issue due to a vote by the people – a remarkable and historic celebration to witness.
Gardening is an ongoing, daily joy of mine.
I live in Waverly, Alabama with my amazingly creative partner, Scott Peek – the man behind Standard Deluxe. Our town is TINY – 150 people! But there is never a boring day here. We enjoy live music shows, designing creative spaces, gardening, and time with our three insufferably lovable dogs, Minnie, Lefty and LeeRoy.