Art on the Ave: A Summer Reflection on Rest, Rhythm, and Community

by Chimba Nachinsambwe

Is rest something we allow ourselves, or something we have to learn how to do? That question continued to come up as we thought about this summer at East Ave Gallery, a small art space rooted in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood. After a year that felt full and in constant motion, this season feels a little different. Not like everything is stopping, but more like things are slowing down. It feels more intentional.

From June through August, this year’s Art on the Ave series begins with a focus on artists whose work invites reflection in different ways. This season creates space to slow down and think about what it means to step away from constant movement and simply be present.

The series opens with Akron-based artist Micah Kraus, whose work is deeply connected to both process and community, with his solo exhibition, This World Is Not My Home Is Where the Heart Is. As a printmaker and educator, Kraus builds his work through layering, repetition, and experimentation. There’s a patience to it. Nothing feels rushed. His pieces feel like they’ve been given time to grow into what they are.

That same care shows up in the way he engages with the Akron community. Through teaching and collaboration, Kraus has spent years creating opportunities for others to connect with art. His work invites people to slow down and really look, instead of just passing through. There’s something honest and steady about it that sets the tone for the start of the series.

In July, the gallery will feature Sylvia Sykes’ solo exhibition, Rest is Radical. Her work shifts the focus more directly toward people and connection. As a portrait artist, she creates work that encourages viewers to reflect on themselves and their relationships with others. Sykes’ mission centers on bringing attention back to human experience, especially in a time where so much of our attention is pulled toward screens and digital spaces.

There’s a softness in her work, but it doesn’t feel weak. It feels intentional. Her pieces hold space for emotion without forcing it, allowing viewers to sit with what they feel rather than rushing past it. In that way, Sykes’ work connects naturally to the idea of rest—not just as stopping, but as reconnecting.

The series continues in August with Gregory Cross and his solo exhibition, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. His work approaches reflection in a different way and in conversation, Cross shared that for him, making art isn’t about talent or creating something that simply looks good. It’s about understanding what you’re trying to say and being willing to challenge yourself to put that vision onto any surface.

His work often pulls from history, personal experience, and current social and political realities. Rather than creating for aesthetics alone, Cross is more interested in making work that feels honest to the time we’re living in. He wants people to look at his work and recognize something in it—not just visually, but emotionally. As he described it, the goal is for someone to see a piece and think “I’ve felt that too.”

That sense of universality shows up in the way Cross approaches his subjects, often working figuratively and drawing from real moments or people in his life. Even when creating something deeply personal, like a painting of his mother, the intention is not just to create a portrait, but to tell a story that others can connect with in their own way.

Cross also embraces experimentation, using a range of materials and approaches, sometimes even incorporating unexpected mediums like shoe polish. For him, growth comes from pushing beyond comfort and continuing to learn, drawing inspiration from both lived experience and artists who came before him. As he put it, we are all “standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Together, these exhibitions create a rhythm across the summer—each one offering a different way to think about presence, reflection, and what it means to slow down.

As East Ave Gallery continues to grow, our focus remains on staying connected to the community we serve. This season, that means creating space to slow down, to reflect, and to experience art without pressure.

As the summer unfolds, Art on the Ave feels less like a list of events and more like an experience. Something you step into, even for a moment, that reminds you it’s okay to pause.

EAST AVE MARKET & GALLERY
2290 East Avenue
Akron, Ohio 44314
eastavefleamarket@gmail.com
330.784.4175
Instagram: @eastavemarket
Facebook: East Ave Market

EVENTS:

Micah Kraus: This World Is Not My Home Is Where the Heart Is, June

Sylvia Sykes: Rest is Radical, July

Gregory Cross:Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, August