ABOUT
Ashley has been creating stories, poems, and drawings since childhood. Her first recognition came at age 17 when she received a partial scholarship for her creative writing submission to the University of Arizona. Since then, she has built a varied career in the arts, including award-winning work as a professional ballet and modern dancer and choreographer. Past awards include the Buffalo Exchange Arts Award for Best Emerging Artist in the Tucson Community, as well as many other scholarships and honors throughout her diverse education and career. She holds a BFA and MFA in dance from the University of Arizona.
She spent a decade working as a graphic designer at the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts, where she helped lead the rebranding and modernization of online and printed collateral of all four schools within the college. She is a self-taught graphic designer, influenced by her father, an ADDY Award-winning graphic designer and artist.
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After becoming a mother, she retired from dance and left her graphic design position. During the COVID pandemic, she started a small furniture repair and construction business to support herself and her daughter, which unexpectedly took off and grew quickly. Through her new line of work, she met her now-husband, Raymond Kraut, who is a world-renowned acoustic guitar builder and fellow woodworker. They had a son in 2023 and currently reside in the rural desert of Marana, AZ.
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Her passion for storytelling with deep meaning has always remained a consistent theme in her diverse body of work.
