At 11 years old, artist Amiah Crisler has found her voice early in life. She’s spoken at the 2019 Women’s March Syracuse, received Syracuse University’s Unsung Hero Award and will have her artwork honored in a downtown mural.

But for Crisler, all the public attention comes second to her love for creating art. Her favorite part about being a recognized artist, she said, is helping others discover their own passions.

“When they’re inspired, I’m inspired,” Crisler said.

Now, her paintings are on display at the Paine Branch Library. The library is exhibiting five of her pieces throughout February and will host “An Afternoon With Artsy Amiah” on Feb. 23. Here, she will do a live painting demonstration accompanied by a chalk art contest.

Later this year, one of her pieces will be installed as a mural at the Warren Street Garage. Adjacent from a dog park, Crisler’s mural, “Lemp Park Pet Forest,” will depict colorful dogs and flowers in a bright forest of trees.

Crisler was first launched into the local spotlight for her artistic talents when a video of her sidewalk chalk went viral. The artwork — a colorful, abstract picture of a dog named Sherbert — earned her the People’s Choice Award and first place in her age division at the Syracuse New Times 28th Annual Street Painting Festival.

Crisler’s parents, Shaun and Kelly, aim to foster a supportive environment for Crisler and her sister, Aubrey. While the public attention surrounding Crisler’s work has been a compliment, her father said, it wasn’t the original goal. The most important thing, he said, is for Crisler to have the resources to grow as an artist at home. 

Crisler’s studio is based in her home. Her mother, Kelly, enrolled her into art classes where she began exploring different mediums. Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

Crisler said she started exploring her craft at three years old. Her mother introduced her to new artistic mediums and later on, she enrolled Crisler in different art classes, allowing her to further explore different creative avenues.

Having her work recognized, Shaun said, gives Crisler the opportunity to see where her dedication and focus can lead.

“She’s just a very bright, inquisitive kid that is not afraid to experiment with things, and I think that’s where she gets her — I don’t know, that creative spark,” said Mary Mahan, Crisler’s art teacher at Edward Smith K-8 School. “It’s her willingness to try new things, wanting to try new things and loving to create.”

To Mahan, Crisler’s bold creativity makes her stand out, noting that Crisler’s parents have helped her pave the way to fully pursue her creativity. Shaun said he and Kelly gained a sense of Crisler’s passion early, but she is still “a regular kid.”

Alexus Martin, the public service and technology librarian assistant at Paine Branch Library, also recognizes Crisler’s promising talent. After seeing Crisler’s artwork on Instagram and in the “Dinomania” exhibit at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology, Martin knew she wanted to have Crisler’s art displayed at the library so the community could be inspired by her work.

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For the library’s Black History Month celebration, Martin said she wanted to feature a young person in the Syracuse community. While it’s meaningful to honor figures like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., she said, it’s also important to recognize those making a difference in the world today.

“Not that those people aren’t important, but also showing that there are people that are contributing to black history even today. And Amiah’s one of those people,” Martin said.

Supporting the good things — especially art — happening in the city of Syracuse is important, Martin said. She sees Crisler’s artwork being displayed in the library as an opportunity to bring the community together by recognizing young talent in the Syracuse City School District.

“Representation matters. You can’t be what you can’t see,” Martin said.

For her father, introducing Crisler to important role models is essential to fostering her creativity at home. One source of inspiration for Crisler is her book “Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.”

“I like to look at what they’ve done in history and what they’ve all overcome,” Crisler said.

Shaun used the book to spark a dialogue about the women who came before Crisler and possibilities of what she can aspire to be. While reading the book together, Shaun encouraged her to pick role models who resonated with her.

Together, the two wrote Crisler’s speech she delivered at the 2019 Women’s March Syracuse. Just as people like Maya Angelou and Harriet Tubman inspired Crisler to follow her own dreams, she hopes her work will do the same for others.

Five of Crisler’s works of art are featured at the Onondaga County’s Paine Branch library throughout February. The library will have a live painting demonstration on Saturday. Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

“Sometimes, women’s voices are not being heard, and I think that I can make a difference with that,” said Crisler, acknowledging the importance of incorporating social activism into her art.

Art is at the root of Crisler’s activism. She loves expressing her emotions through the different strokes, textures and colors she uses.

“It’s what makes me happy, and I put my feelings and thoughts into it,” she said. Having explored acrylics, oil paints and pottery, she’s now trying to learn more about watercolors.

In the future, Crisler said she hopes to open her own art store, called Artsy Things, so that other kids can explore their natural talents. She plans for the store to have coding and painting classes and sell art supplies and activity books for kids to bring home so they too can discover art and what they want to do.

Crisler said she wants people to know that they should pursue their natural talents, since you never know what good things could come from them. She wants to continue making art because not only does it bring her joy, but it inspires others.

“Not a lot of people do the things they like or they don’t have time for it,” she said.  “You can always incorporate the things that you like into what you do.”

Published on February 20, 2019 at 9:37 pm