BE ORIGINAL

COURTESY OF SUMMIT ARTSPACE

Sculptor Ron White in his Summit Artspace StudioPHOTO COURTESY OF DERIN FLETCHERPHOTO BY CORY KISTOW

Art Bomb Brigade’s Dawn Revisited mural on the Freedom Trail, Team Leader Mac Love Derin Fletcher’s Green Girl

Support for artists—whether they’re printmakers or poets—comes from all quarters here. And in turn, the region’s creators fi ll our lives and communities with art that reaches and teaches.

Each year the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation holds the Knight Arts Challenge in Miami, Detroit and Akron where the Knight family began its newspaper dynasty. Knight funds the arts because they have “a unique power to connect people to place and to each other.”

This year’s winners and their projects include:

Gum-Dip Theatre: A cross-cultural play created by a multiethnic former refugee ensemble that explores the navigation of their new world.

Akron Black Artist Guild: Performances, workshops and demonstrations produced by Black artists for public parks, hospital galleries and Akron neighborhoods.

Natalie Warren: A series of exhibitions to make Black history and culture more accessible to the residents of

Akron throughout the year.

Radio on the Lake Theatre: A portable audio tour using the art of the radio play to illuminate fi ve Akron historical landmarks for the visually challenged.

The Wick Poetry Center: An interactive poetic map of

Akron displayed in pop-up exhibits throughout the city. QuTheatr: A community-driven performance crafted from stories collected during monthly queer gatherings throughout the city.

ArtsNow provides vital resources to and advocates for artists and supporting partners in Summit County. It also: Provides information about diverse arts and culture off erings in the region. Gathers and analyzes data about arts and culture to drive improvements. Builds and strengthens funding for arts and culture. ArtsinStark represents more than 900 cultural organizations and artists in Stark County with the guiding belief that arts and culture create new jobs, smarter kids and healthier communities. It operates the Cultural Center for the Arts, downtown Canton’s cultural centerpiece and home to four resident companies: the Canton Museum of Art, Players Guild Theatre, Canton Ballet and Sing Stark.

The Akron Soul Train is a fellowship program for artists and allies. Fellowships are generally one month but can be longer. It provides space, funding and time for artists; in turn they share their work and process with the public.

Akron Black artists have always worked in studios across the region. But in 2021—with support from the Knight Foundation and ArtsNow—they joined together to form the Akron Black Artist Guild (ABAG), a fellowship to provide resources, support and opportunities for Black artists. “As a Black artist, it’s easy to feel isolated from others and unconnected to opportunities in our region,” says Dana Harper, who co-founded the group with Diane Johnson and Dominic Moore-Dunson.

In 2022, partnerships, artist fellowships and workshops have dominated the scene.

Art in the Park Collective, a two-year collaboration with the Summit Metro Parks, puts performances and other outdoor activities into the park system for all to enjoy.

Through the Reimagine Fellowship, three talented artists are paired with three neighborhoods: photographer Talia Hodge/Kenmore, muralist Stephanie Stewart and daughter Kayla/West Akron and digital artist Chris Harvey/Reservoir Park. Elevating Our Mood: Visual Artists of Akron Black Artist Guild portrayed Summa Health’s relationship with ABAG by opening a new gallery. Check out abaguild.org

95 Akron’s Northside District is a hip residential, arts and entertainment area in what once was the city’s red light quarter. Luigi’s, an Akron landmark, anchors the district. Jilly’s draws live music lovers.

The Northside Marketplace mixes established retailers such as Rubber City Clothing with startups.

Cyclists hop on the Towpath

Trail only 100 yards away.

Northside Lofts provide elegant, urban living.

Curated Storefront commissions the creation and installation of public art throughout Akron, making the city a dynamic destination for urban art while supporting artists. The mixedmedia installations are accessible to all.

Summit Artspace is a community art center that brings together in one location some of the best local artists, arts organizations and educators. Its downtown studios are fi lled with quilters, potters, sculptors and more. It also operates two artist enclaves in Barberton.

The BOX Gallery features the works of Artists of Rubber City, a visual arts nonprofi t founded in 1978.

The Canton Arts District downtown is fi lled with more than 30 galleries and studios as well as restaurants, taverns and cafés. It is supported in part by Canton city and Stark County governments. The First Friday party every month features live music and exhibitions. Avenue Marketplace and Theatre includes a gallery area, 15 studios and the Howland Theatre.

Named after a dye used in tire manufacturing, Carbon Black is the new event space for Crafty Mart. Crafty Mart supports local artisans and makers with educational programs, handmade markets and additional opportunities to elevate their creative businesses. Carbon Black is on the second fl oor of the Bounce Innovation Hub, located in a former B.F. Goodrich Co. factory.

The Bounce Innovation Hub is home to Avant Garden, a unique space where artists and makers produce and showcase experimental and innovative art. Application is by invitation.

The Art Bomb Brigade uses creative placemaking to invigorate Akron with murals in high-traffi c, public spaces. They pick a corner of the city and “bomb” it with art with the help of community members.

Here are just a few items you can borrow from the Akron-Summit County Public Library: Cake pans Binoculars Original artworks (in conjunction with the Akron Art Museum) Hot Spots Double row tambourine 16 mm fi lm projector Vinyl archiving turntable …oh, and books and DVDs The Library also off ers a TechZone that has professional audio and video recording studios, design computers, 3-D printers, laser engraver, media transfer station, vinyl printer and a crafting/sewing area that even provides a button maker.

The Bounce Innovation Hub’s Workshop has an artistic focus, available not just for makers, but all creatives. It is membership-based, off ering workspace and state-of-theart equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters and photography equipment. It is ideal for Akron’s makers, crafters, artists and builders.

Akron Makerspace is a nonprofi t coop that grew from a two-car garage into a 10,000-square-foot space fi lled with equipment that ranges from artisan hand tools to industrial machines. Members get workspace and discounts on its classes and workshops.

COURTESY OF AKRON MAKERSPACE