Rising Arts Leader: An individual arts contributor, manager, advocate, volunteer or patron with fewer than five years of involvement in this role.
Taylor Clapp
Taylor Clapp is an interdisciplinary artist, graphic designer, and exhibitions specialist located in Akron, Ohio. Taylor’s artwork focuses on themes of identity. Through exploring moments of daily life, Taylor’s work illustrates the grief and the pain of mental and chronic illnesses as well as moments of contentment and joy. Taylor works primarily with oil paint and textiles, and their work evokes the emotional complexity of their subjects and the tactile elements of fabrics.
Taylor grew up in rural Ohio and has always been interested in pursuing a career in the arts. After earning their BA in Graphic Design from Central State University, they moved to Akron, Ohio with their spouse and pets (Mia and Flopsey). In November 2020, Taylor created their own company, Clapp for Art, LLC. through which they have since designed campaigns for Summit Artspace, Curated Storefront, as well as multiple small businesses.
Taylor serves as the Exhibitions Manager and Graphic Designer for Curated Storefront. There she specializes in the set up and management of their digital content and displays.
Since 2021, Taylor has been involved in running The Groundhog Show, an annual pop-up art exhibition celebrating northeast Ohio artists and creators. The Groundhog Show creates a safe and inclusive environment for artists in all stages of their creative journeys. The Groundhog Show has also served as a space for LGBTQIA+ artists and allies to explore themes of gender, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and queer joy. Taylor also runs the roaming sticker machines—named Stella, Stewie, and Stefan—that appear at arts events and feature stickers created by local artists.
Recently Taylor opened The Little Green Gallery, located in studio 120 at Summit Artspace. The Little Green Gallery is an immersive art experience that welcomes viewers into a whimsical portal to view Taylor’s most recent artwork.