The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
Amber McElreath
Mixed Media Assemblage ArtistBio
Amber McElreath is an Akron-based assemblage and collage artist who uses found objects in her work to tell autobiographical stories in a surrealistic style. Most of the work is very small which is meant to convey intimacy and vulnerability. Her two inspirations are Frida Kahlo and Joseph Cornell.
Amber got her BFA in Painting from Kent State University and graduated with her MAs in Art Therapy and Counseling from Ursuline College. She was selected for the 103rd Annual Spring Show at the Erie Art Museum in 2026. In 2025, Amber’s work was in the Quest For the Fest show at Spaces gallery and went on to be in the Ingenuity Festival. Her most recent solo exhibition, Future Tripping and Backward Wandering (2024), was at the Sally Otto Gallery. Delivering Stores with work from Amber and Karen Koch was in 2017 at the Box Gallery in Summit Artspace. In 2023, she participated in the Infinite Mix the YARDS Projects, in Cleveland. In 2024, she was in a two-person exhibition with Annie Becker at Gallery 202 in 78th St. Studios. Later that year, she was in the July exhibit at 934 Gallery in Columbus, OH. Her work is in public/private collections in Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Georgia, Washington, and Maryland.
Amber is a Licensed Professional Art Therapist, Registered/Board-Certified Art Therapist, and the Intern Coordinator at the Art Therapy Studio. She facilitates the In Response series at moCa Cleveland. She belongs to the Artist Archives of the Western Reserve.
Artist Statement
My assemblages are autobiographical in content, and often surrealistic. I try to convey the emotions surrounding events. I create thru the lens of my career as an art therapist.
Once objects are paired together, a narrative emerges. I start having a “dialogue” with my artwork. Even though dialoguing sounds like I am having a conversation with inanimate objects, this is a process where I’m asking myself questions and giving myself answers. By externalizing the conversation, it helps the meaning become more accessible to me. This helps unearth my subconscious feelings so I can move forward with a clear intent. I use basic theories from art therapy concerning symbolism and color. I consider how they represent or relate to specific emotions. While the specifics of my life events might be mired in symbolism within my work, there are universal emotions present in which the viewer can relate.
Because my process and feelings filter thru my subconscious, I often end up with a surrealistic outcome. By disregarding the original purpose of an item, changing the scale of certain parts within the work, or by placing together items that juxtapose one another, the appearance of the piece is usually dream-like. My work presents a different view of the human experience. Sometimes the viewer can see parts of my own story within the work and sometimes their own life experiences inform their interpretation. My goal is to tell my story in my own way, process my emotions, and have the viewer connect with my work on an emotional level.