Outstanding Artists: Individual artists whose work within their field has made a significant impact within the discipline over five years or more.
Micah Kraus
Micah Kraus is an artist and educator living in Akron. He operates Work Studio LTD, an art and design studio specializing in printmaking-based processes for fine art and client-based projects.
Kraus served as an art educator at Archbishop Hoban High School from 2001-2023, specializing in printmaking, photography, and art career field experiences. He was department chair for 15 years and oversaw the renovation of the visual art facility at Hoban.
Kraus has shown his work in solo and select group exhibitions, both regionally and nationally. He has engaged in community-based public art projects through organizations like East Akron Community House, Lock 3 Summer Arts Experience, Door 2, Summit ArtSpace, Downtown Akron Partnership, and Akron Art Museum. In 2018 he received the Jury Selection at the High Arts Festival for his piece, All Falling Together and in 2019 was an artist in residence at Akron Soul Train.
In 2023, he was awarded an Arts Forward grant to create a community-oriented risography studio, with the goal of fostering a culture of creative learning and talent enhancement in Akron. For several years, he has had the honor of creating artwork for Akron Coffee Roasters, Dirty River Bicycle Works, and UnHitched Brewing Co., businesses that helped him establish a viable full time art career through their support, generous exposure, and meaningful relationships.
He is continually inspired, encouraged, and anchored by his partner in crime, artist and educator Kim Eggleston-Kraus. Kraus has a B.A. in Art Education and an M.A. in Printmaking from Kent State University.