Katy Richards (b. 1989) lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio. Her paintings focus on the materiality of paint and representation, often exploring themes of life, death, and desire. She received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Her work has been exhibited in numerous group shows throughout Ohio, including A Painter’s Table at Waterloo Arts, Cleveland; "More is More: Visual Richness in Contemporary Art at the Akron Art Museum;" and "Love is Resistance," an exhibition project presented in partnership with the Cleveland Museum of Art at the Transformer Station, among others. Her work was included in a traveling group show "Common Currents: Contemporary Art from Buffalo and Cleveland" which exhibited at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Cleveland, OH and the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, NY, in July 2025. She has had three solo exhibitions at HEDGE Gallery in Cleveland: Fluid Depths, "See Myself Something Different," and "Pocket Full of Posies." Her upcoming solo show, "Fleeting Florals," opens this December at Massillon Museum.
Richards’ work is included in several public collections, including Dealer Tire, the Progressive Collection, and the Cleveland Arts Association. She is a recipient of the Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council and the Waterloo Arts Trustee Prize in Painting from Waterloo Arts Gallery. She has also attended the Vermont Studio Center Residency.