About Anna
BIO.
Anna E. Young is an artist and arts advocate. She holds an M.F.A. in Photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a B.F.A. from The University of Akron, with minors in printmaking, art history, and professional photography. Young works full-time at Summit Artspace as the Director of Artist Programs and Exhibitions. She taught as an assistant lecturer in the 2D Design and Photography departments at the University of Akron's Myers School of Art for over 3 years, and is currently an adjunct professor at Cleveland Institute of Art. She co-founded KINK Contemporary, an arts organization dedicated to supporting emerging artists and curators, in 2019. Young turns her personal shame and trauma into a celebration by creating self-portraits featuring characters and compositions that use exaggeration, vibrant colors, and camp, reclaiming autonomy after years of performing in response to bullying and managing her inner critic.
C.V.
Anna E. Young
annaeyoungphoto@gmail.com
Education:
2018 – MFA Photography, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
2014 – BFA Photography, minors in Printmaking, Art History, Professional Photography, University of Akron, Myers School of Art, Akron, OH
Honors and Awards:
2024 – Arts Alive IDEA Leader Award, KINK Contemporary, Summit Artspace
2023 – Visual Communication Gold Award, Massillon Museum-“90th Anniversary Logo/Brand Packaging,” Ohio Museums
Association
2021 – Visual Communication Honorable Mention, Massillon Museum - “MassMusings Podcast,” Ohio Museums Association
Professional Service:
2025 – Professional juror for The Sculpture Center’s Revealed Emerging Artist Series, Cleveland, OH
2023 – Professional juror for FAVA’s National Juried Biennial Photography Show, Oberlin, OH
Professional juror for the Groundhog Show, Portage Lakes, OH
Exhibition History
Solo Exhibitions:
2026 – Life’s Still a F*cking Joke: Pieces of Me, Akron Coffee Roasters, Akron, OH, (upcoming October 2026)
2025 – Life’s a F*cking Joke, Akron Soul Train, Akron, OH
2014 – Life In Progress, BFA exhibition, Palladian Palette, Akron, OH
Group Exhibitions:
2026 – Art Works, Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls, OH
Together, Here, Akron Soul Train, Akron, OH
Strange Dream, Cyrus Art Gallery, Canton, OH
2025 – Portrait of the Artist, Emily Davis Gallery, Myers School of Art, Akron, OH
Myers School of Art Faculty Exhibition, Emily Davis Gallery, Myers School of Art, Akron, OH
2024 – CHROMA Vol. 1, White Rabbit Galleries, Barberton, OH
Members’ Show, Akron Soul Train, Akron, OH
SH’BANG FEST, Hildebrant Artist Collective, Cleveland, OH
FRESH, Summit Artspace, Akron, OH; Juror: Pita Brooks
2023 – BAZAARBEQUE VOL. 10, Group exhibition, KINK Contemporary, Cleveland, OH
FRESH, Summit Artspace, Akron, OH; Juror: Michael Gill
2021 – Photography by Supporters of Relay for Life, Massillon Museum, Massillon, OH
2020 – Boschian Beautifully Bizarre, Juror: Kat Wentz, Summit Artspace, Akron, OH
2019 – Subception, KINK Contemporary, Cleveland, OH
2018 – High Arts Festival, Summit Artspace, Akron, OH
BAZAARBEQUE VOL. 9, Forum Artspace, Cleveland, OH
Graduate Degree Exhibition, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Touch Me, Hold Me, Squeeze Me, Hangar Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI
2017 – I Don’t Know What You Did Last Summer, Forum Gallery, Bloomfield Hills, MI
2015 – Self and Others, Summit Artspace, Akron, OH
2014 – BAZAARBEQUE VOL. 5, Forum Artspace, Cleveland, OH
Under Pressure, Honors Complex, University of Akron, Akron, OH; Curator: Hui Chu Ying
2013 – Zygote Press 4U, Zygote Press, Cleveland, OH
2012 – Folk Photography Association Exhibition, Projects Gallery, Myers School of Art, University of Akron, Akron, OH
Professional Memberships:
2024 – Akron Soul Train, Akron, OH
ROY G BIV Gallery, Columbus, OH
2022 to 2024 – CAN Journal, Cleveland, OH
2012 to 2014 – Folk Photography Association
Press/Bibliography:
2022 – Michael Gill, “A new KINK on Waterloo,” CAN Journal, June 1, 2022, http://canjournal.org/2022/06/a-new-kink-on-waterloo/.
2021 – Marla Ridenour, “‘A hometown hero': Small businesses laud Cavs' Larry Nance Jr. for pandemic support,” Akron Beacon Journal, July 6, 2021, https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/pro/cavs/2021/07/06/cleveland-cavaliers-larry-nance-charity-covid-pandemic-aid/7827604002/.
2018 – Michael H. Hodges, "Cranbrook Art Academy hosts Sunday open house,” The Detroit News, April 27, 2018, https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/arts/2018/04/27/cranbrook-graduate-degree-exhibition-openstudios-institute-science-house-ash-arder-conrad-egyir-anna-young-michael-hodges/34329963/.