When Amber ‘Ambz’ Kear, 38, returned to Findlay, Ohio, five years ago, she came back not only as an artist but as a proud gay woman determined to create a safe, healing environment in her rural Ohio community.
Kear founded Hysteria Company in 2019, a community-focused mural and branding business, located alongside other artists’ studios in Findlay’s historic Jones Building. Working with local organizations like the LGBTQ+-centered Spectrum of Findlay and the mental health organization FOCUS: Recovery & Wellness Community, Kear takes on vibrant projects focused on humanitarian and environmental causes. Her subjects often include healing, identity and creating safe spaces- topics closely connected to her LGBTQ+ identity.
Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn said Kear’s dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion earned her the opportunity to create a mural of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. in Findlay, which will feature Kear’s distinctive art style. With eye-catching collage elements, geometric patterns and bold colors, Kear’s murals come to life, blending vibrant visuals with powerful messages.
Although she has succeeded personally and professionally in Findlay since 2019, Kear initially had concerns about returning to rural Ohio as a gay woman. Raised between Findlay and Pandora, she graduated from Pandora-Gilboa High School in 2004, then graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in graphic design.
She lived in Pennsylvania until 2019 when she moved home to Findlay, Ohio, in Hancock County about 20 miles outside of Pandora.
“I knew when I moved back it was going to be challenging for me, personally, to be back here because when I was 18/19 when I left, it was like, ‘How can I come out fully and be my true self?’” Kear said. “I felt like moving to Pittsburgh seemed like the right fit at the time for me as an artist and for me to grow in that way. So it’s been really good for me to challenge my perspectives about being back home and not thinking that everyone’s against me, for lack of better words.”
Despite some initial apprehensions about returning home as an openly gay woman, she has discovered a supportive environment to create opportunities for healing and belonging for herself and others.
Starting in 2022, Kear created an impactful piece at The Cocoon domestic and sexual violence shelter in Wood County, Ohio, that was crafted to foster a safe space to heal. The theme of the piece was connecting with nature and included an interactive component to allow survivors to display their artwork throughout their healing journey.
Muryn is a fan of Kear’s work and appreciates her passion for engaging the community. “You can just go around town and see her mark and the beauty that she’s added to it in lots of different spaces,” Muryn said. “I think that that really helps people connect to the artistic world that may not always recognize it in their daily lives.”
Muryn said she wants everyone to feel welcome in the community and feel they belong. Muryn said that Kear shares that belief.
Kear has also worked on the branding of the “i am somebody,” podcast since 2021. Created by FOCUS, the podcast aims to destigmatize recovery and mental health through personal stories. Topics include birthing stories, LGBTQ+ identity, substance abuse and incarceration.
Brooke Nissen, executive director of FOCUS, calls Kear “truly remarkable person,” and “a well-known advocate in our community for individuals in recovery.” For the podcast alone, Kear designed the branding and color scheme, created a guidebook, facilitated outreach and networking opportunities and volunteered her time to host strategic-planning meetings.
In addition to her behind-the-scenes work for the podcast, Kear has also appeared as a guest, sharing her personal mental health journey. She believes sharing stories and having conversations can help community members better understand each other.
“I really have been able to work with people in the community who are also helping other people in the community,” Kear said. “A big part of what I do with mural work in the community is to be able to offer spaces of healing … We need to pull together to help each other.”
Kear’s fears, hopes and aspirations as she returned home and started a new business culminated in the exhibition, “Our Belonging,” which delved into her feelings about returning home and growing as a business owner and artist. The works were displayed locally in 2020, then, three years later, the exhibition was the inaugural solo exhibition in the Robert C. & Susan Savage Community Gallery at the Toledo Museum of Art from May 3, 2023, to September 3, 2023.
“Through the storytellers lens, I have learned that, in a very predominantly white, conservative community, belonging is not something that is easily felt or visible for Indigenous, Black, People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ community members, and other historically underserved groups,” Kear wrote in her exhibition statement. “We must belong to ourselves first before we can begin to belong in a community.”
The Findlay artist drew inspiration from her fears, hopes and aspirations as she returned to her hometown filled with uncertainty of belonging.
Kear’s artwork represents just one facet of her community-building efforts in Northwest Ohio. She is active in organizing fundraising events, mentoring local students, collaborating with nonprofits and fostering connections that promote healing and inclusivity.
She works with scholarship students at the University of Findlay theater department and offers her studio space to student artists during the Findlay ArtWalk, a quarterly gallery and open-studio event in the city’s downtown.
About three months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision effectively overturned Roe v. Wade, Kear worked with close friend Alexandria Gratz-Collier and fellow local businesses to organize the Body-Ody-Ody Bake Sale, which raised over $2,750 for the Ohio Women’s Alliance in Columbus.
In a letter sent to Kear from Erin Scott, the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Ohio Women’s Alliance, wrote, “The strongest voices in movements for collective liberation have always been women and nonconforming folx, particularly Black folx and people of color. The Ohio Women’s Alliance knows that by resourcing, connecting, and investing in women and grassroots leaders across Ohio, we can create a cultural narrative shift that champions a better Ohio for all.”
Kear’s sister, Ashley Reid, 37, said she is not surprised to see Kear taking on this role in the community.
“I think my sister is just one of those people that makes you feel comfortable and can see through the lens of everybody and she can be empathetic and understanding,” Reid said. “Her business is definitely a reflection of her mission, vision and values in life.”
With a newfound approach to community and belonging, Kear dreams of expanding her outreach efforts and opening a studio space on the ground floor of the Jones Building to create an accessible boutique displaying local artwork. Kear has also returned to school in hopes of offering art therapy in the future.
No matter her next steps, one thing is certain: she will remain a driving force for acceptance in her community. 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- Hysteria Company is seeking new opportunities. Visit Hysteria Company at 400 1/2 S Main St Studio #12 in Findlay, Ohio, visit the website at https://hysteria.company/, or contact Amber Kear at thehysteriacompany@gmail.com.
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