The following blog post was originally presented by Micah Kraus at An Evening with Artists: An ArtsForward Fundraiser on December 12th, 2024. Good evening. My name is Micah Kraus. I’m a professional artist that owns and operates Work Studio LTD. My three guiding princ[...]

The following speech was originally presented by Yoly Miller at An Evening with Artists: An ArtsForward Fundraiser on December 12th, 2024. I am an immigrant. As a child I wanted nothing more than to belong to my new world, but the school system I was entrusted into offe[...]

Who am I? My name is Josy Jones. I am a theatre practitioner. I am an actor, director, playwright, producer, amongst other things. I am a community builder and I am an aspiring lighting designer. I am also the founder of the Chameleon Village Theatre Collective, which i[...]

J Travis is a self-taught visual artist who works primarily with abstract acrylic paints and mixed media. She proudly claims her roots- Canton-born and Akron-raised. What inspired you to create? My artistic journey began with my mother, who taught me the joy of drawing.[...]

The following speech was originally presented by Drew Williams, Assistant Superintendent at Summit DD, at An Evening with Artists on December 12th, 2024: Good evening, Thank you again for attending tonight’s event, which has highlighted the important work of local art[...]

Typically when I tell people that I work at an organization called ArtsNow, one of the first questions they ask me is, “So, are you an artist?” The short answer is no, I am not an artist– my job is to support artists and the arts ecosystem as a whole. But the long[...]

Kemp A. Boyd, married to his incredible wife, Stacy, and blessed with a family of six children, is a dedicated family man and community leader. He serves as the Executive Director of Love Akron and is also a Co-Pastor at Garden City Church. Additionally, Kemp emphasizes[...]

Good afternoon, everyone! I’m Nicole Mullet, Executive Director of ArtsNow and I’m thrilled to welcome you to this year’s State of the Arts! This afternoon, we gather to celebrate the profound impact of the arts, culture, and environmental sectors in Summit County[...]

A special thank you to Jason Blakely with Poetry is Life Publishing for writing this poem specifically for our third annual State of the Arts on October 23, 2024! What is Art?By Jason F. Blakely Art is the culture’s constant heartbeat.Our ears, enthusiastic stethoscop[...]

My entire dance-life, I have lived in NE Ohio outside of a few short stints performing in Washington, DC or training in New York. I love Akron – my small midwestern city that punches above its weight class in lots of ways. We love many things: calling ourselves the Ru[...]