Mason Major is an amateur photographer from Akron, OH. He originally found interest in photography through camping trips with friends out west. This helped rekindle a deep passion and love for the natural world, which he tries to capture as accurately as possible through the lens. He has particular fondness for birds, mountain views, and the Pacific Northwest.

I make art with a variety of media, exploring themes related to our belief in separation and the fact that on an essential level, there is no separation. I aim to cultivate balance in myself and viewers of my art – a lifelong direction. A lot of my work is simply intended to nurture vitality, and sometimes to shake up our ideas and assumptions. I have been creating visual art for most of the 55 years I have been on the planet, and I favor using natural pigments, paints and inks, but also enjoy bringing digital work into relationship with these more earthy media too. In the past several years, I have had multiple solo shows and have exhibited in numerous art festivals in an effort to share what I do with more people. Each year, more of my work finds its way into people’s homes, and I am profoundly grateful for this. If you like what I do, you can see more on my website.

Materiality and process are vital to Katlin Shae’s studio practice. Through physical labor, pattern, transformation of materials, and color Shae examines time and life using craft disciplines. Often creating within the systems and structures provided by looms, she is excited by the complexities and possibilities that exist in the grid format. Shae’s studio practice also incorporates drawing, and creative daily work with mark making and material investigation. In this new series of 14 drawings, there is an emphasis on color, shape, line, and pattern. The drawings tend to start at a central point with each new line being shaped by the last creating a ripple effect within the work. The pieces are untitled, but each one is numbered in the order the artist made them. By starting with piece number 1, you can follow the progression of these drawings through number 14, each completed piece expanding on the possibilities for the next one.

Impacted by the beauty of the natural world, especially the ocean, Christian James creates sculptural glass creatures that mimic shapes from nature. Some of the forms he often uses are snails, jellyfish, and occasionally a combination of both. Growing up in Highland Square Christian studied art at the Visual and Performing Arts Schools Miller South and Firestone. This is where his love for art began. After graduating high school Christian attended Kent State University to study glassblowing. His interest in glass started at a young age with the influence of his uncle, who is a professional glassblower. Christian worked full time with his uncle at Janke Studios, a production glass shop located in Atlanta Georgia for 7 years. During this time Christian learned from Matt Janke in an apprenticeship style of mentoring to refine his skills and technical proficiency in the process of glassblowing. Returning to Akron in 2018, Christian now makes his work at Akron Glass Works, where he is the current manager of their studio. Christian James will be taking Akron Glass Works into their next phase by establishing their studio at a new location in the West Hill neighborhood of Akron opening Summer 2026. You can visit the current Akron Glass Works gallery and retail space to see the large variety of work he makes including pendant lighting, goblets, hot sculpted glass chess sets, and more.