Never Just a Quilt | Group Exhibition
Forum Gallery
This exhibition brings together artists working in traditional and contemporary quilts, quilt patterns and motifs, and illustrated mixed-media artworks. The diverse group consists of Taylor Clapp, Laura Engler, Meryl Engler, Denise Harrison, Davis Saunders, and Stephanie Stewart showcasing a multitude of perspectives honoring quilt traditions of women, people of color, and the queer community.
Taylor Clapp (she/they) 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 of 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.
@clappforart clappforart.com
Laura and Meryl Engler
Meryl Engler grew up in Huntington Beach, California, before attending Syracuse University where she studied sculpture, printmaking, religious studies, and history. Next, she went to graduate school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for studio art with an emphasis in printmaking. This is where she developed her love of colorful woodcut prints. Meryl moved to Akron in the fall of 2019 to re-establish her studio practice and has since worked at art organizations and universities throughout Northeast Ohio.
Growing up, Meryl watched her mother, Laura, a lifelong crafter, make beautiful quilts out of piles of scrap fabric. She became inspired by the colors and patterns within the quilts. Recently, Meryl has been using her mother’s quilts as imagery in her work to symbolize protection, comfort, and care.
Denise A. Harrison, MA is a non-traditional quilt artist from Northeastern Ohio. As a retired professor from Kent State University, she entered the Kent State University College of the Arts, School of Art in 2024 to complete a MA in Studio Art, Textiles (2026). Harrison has been fortunate to be guided by weaver and textile artist, John Paul Morabito.
Harrison’s work pays homage to Black American abstract artists Howardena Pindell, Sam Gilliam, Dietrick Brackins, Basil Kincade and the works of the Gees Bend quilters.
Her work has been shown at Praxis Fiber Workshop, Cleveland, OH.; Stewart’s Caring Place, Akron, OH.; Akron Soul Train, Akron, OH.; Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY., and featured in exhibitions such as Co-Crafting Democracy at the National Women’s History Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls, NY.; and the African American Quilt and Doll Guild Biennial Quilt Show, Cleveland, OH.
Harrison’s current work is an innovative use of traditional quilt skills in designing abstract textile pieces which evoke the full humanity of Black American women and women of the Black diaspora through grief, healing, restorative resistance, and the sacredness of our connection to the cosmos.
Davis Saunders (he/they) is a Black butch lesbian artist and writer from the Midwest, based in Cleveland. He studied journalism at Kent State University, where he found his devotion to printmaking. Davis is drawn to screenprint, monoprint, linocut, risograph and collage. Davis takes a mixed-media approach to creating work, incorporating textile arts like knitting and quilting, or blending digitally collaged elements into his prints. His practice also includes mediums that are not always viewed as part of an “art practice,” like gardening, writing, baking, or coding web pages, which he values as a way to break from patterns. His art draws heavily from a love of text and texture, as well as a need to make meaning of his own history. Through his work, Davis seeks to define and redefine his identities and their roots, and he hopes to create pieces that invite others to consider how they hold their own identity.
Stephanie Stewart (b. 1982, Dallas, Texas) has been creative and artistically inclinedtaught artist, Stewart continually evolves her practice, developing new techniques that support her mission to share stories of Black American love, hope, and joy. Her paintings often contain hidden images layered beneath the surface, creating depth, vibrancy, and bold color harmonies that enrich her visual storytelling. Influenced by her love of color and art history, she strives to create work that feels both timeless and deeply rooted in lived experiences. In addition to her Akron, OH studio practice at Summit Artspace, Stewart is a registered Teaching Artist with the Ohio Arts Council, leading workshops for learners of all ages. Certified in deep listening and traumainformed, healingcentered care, she believes creativity lives within everyone—and dedicates her work to nurturing, sharing, and cultivating that gift.
Although Stewart initially pursued a career in information technology and information systems, the global shutdown of 2020 prompted a profound realization: her purpose extended far beyond the routines of corporate life. Through prayer, reflection, and personal reformation, her creative spark reignited, guiding her toward her current path as the owner of P31 Art & Design, a teaching artist, and a dedicated advocate for Black arts. As a self-taught artist, Stewart continually evolves her practice, developing new techniques that support her mission to share stories of Black American love, hope, and joy. Her paintings often contain hidden images layered beneath the surface, creating depth, vibrancy, and bold color harmonies that enrich her visual storytelling. Influenced by her love of color and art history, she strives to create work that feels both timeless and deeply rooted in lived experiences. In addition to her Akron, OH studio practice at Summit Artspace, Stewart is a registered Teaching Artist with the Ohio Arts Council, leading workshops for learners of all ages. Certified in deep listening and trauma informed, healing centered care, she believes creativity lives within everyone—and dedicates her work to nurturing, sharing, and cultivating that gift.
Did you know?
Most of the artwork on display at Summit Artspace is for sale.
Click on the artwork images for pricing and more information about each piece.
If you would like to purchase any art, please visit a staff member or volunteer at the front desk, or email anna@summitartspace.org.
Special thanks to Bradley Hart, Summit Artspace resident artist, for photography of virtual exhibitions!
1- Davis Saunders | Braided and Loc’d | NFS
Quilt, screen print, beading, 2026
2- Meryl Engler | Covered in Sunset Haze | $400
Woodcut and colored pencil, 2023
3- Davis Saunders | Generation | NFS
Screenprint, heat transfer, 2026
4- Meryl Engler | Bargello Reflection 3 | $250
Woodcut and marker, 2026
5- Meryl Engler | Quilted Landscape 2 | $150
CMYK photopolymer plate intaglio on handmade Japanese kozo paper, 2026
6- Meryl Engler | Quilted Landscape 1 | $150
CMYK photopolymer plate intaglio, 2026
7a- Stephanie Stewart | Bound Frayed | $150
Acrylic mixed media, 2026
7- Stephanie Stewart | Bound Series 1-8 | $50 each
Collage mixed media, 2026
8- Taylor Clapp | Flopsey | $700
Oil on canvas, 2026
Accompanied by Heeney Quilt (NFS)
A gift from Mary Heeney
9- Taylor Clapp | Appalachian Roots | $1,200
Oil on canvas, 2023
Accompanied by Four Generations Quilt (NFS)
Hand piece and quilted by Taylor Clapp, Geri Pittl, Wilma Scanlon, and Maude Emma Carter Riley
10- Meryl Engler | Covered Series (6 pieces in total shown) | $400 each
Woodcut, 2023
11- Denise Harrison | Homage to Gees Bend Quilters: Indigo in Four Patch | NFS
Quilt made of recycled plaid shirts, dyed indigo (pillow ticking and cotton fabric) and vintage Nigeran indigo cloth
12- Denise Harrison | Surry Down to a Stoned Soul Picnic | NFS
A play on the log cabin quilt block and a stylized temperature quilt
13- Laura Engler | Lone Star Swirl Quilt | NFS
Quilt, 2023
14- Stephanie Stewart | Bound Together Series | $150 each
Acrylic, 2026
15- Meryl Engler | Bargello Reflection 2 | $250
Woodcut and marker, 2026
16- Meryl Engler | Bargello Reflection 1 | $250
Woodcut and marker, 2026
17- Taylor Clapp | grief_taylor_depression | NFS
Oil on canvas, 2025
Accompanied by Chaos Quilt (NFS)
Hand piece and quilted by Taylor Clapp
18- Taylor Clapp | Mia | $850
Oil on canvas, 2026
Accompanied by Rainbow Quilt (NFS)
Hand piece and quilted by Taylor Clapp
19- Denise Harrison | Court House Stairs: Black Resistance Squared | NFS |Quilt
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