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There was a time when visual arts struggled in Akron. Those times are gone
By Dorothy Shinn
Beacon Journal art and architecture critic
Published on Friday, Jul 03, 2009
Well, I guess age is getting to me. I forgot to include Summit Artspace and the Akron Area Arts Alliance in my reasons the arts have progressed so robustly here in Akron in last Sunday's review of the Artists of Rubber City exhibit at Mocha Maiden.
Of course, having somewhere for art groups to show their stuff and keep apprised of the latest trends is a major factor in keeping our arts community energized and growing. But whenever I drop the ball, there are plenty of folks to pick it up, hand it back and give me another shot at it.
While the Akron Art Museum and the University of Akron's Myers School of Art are major factors in keeping us on our toes, visually speaking, there's no substitute for actually putting your work out there and getting feedback.
That's what Summit Artspace does, and its parent organization, the Akron Area Arts Alliance.
Jessie Raynor, Alliance director, reminded me about the ''bad old days'' soon after she read last Sunday's review.
''Remember that before Summit Artspace was established in 2002, the visual arts community was figuratively wandering in the wilderness for the decades after the Akron Art Institute became the Akron Art Museum and changed its mission,'' she wrote in an e-mail last Sunday. ''That was in 1981, I believe.''
That's about the time John Coplans took over at the old Akron Art Institute, shut down the museum store, ended the Akron May Show and set about upgrading the Institute to the Akron Art Museum. To his credit (and I know there are many detractors), Coplans saw an arts community that needed a dose of present reality.
The predominant art scene here and in Cleveland (the 800-pound gorilla) was pretty much stuck in the 1950s and 1960s. Coplans kicked the overgrown babies out of their nice, comfy art nest and made them fly.
And for some, flying came hard.
In the early 1980s I gave a little whine and cheese talk to the Akron Society of Artists and basically told them to find their own space and organize their own shows.
Some paid attention. I'm thinking about artists like Don Getz, Dino Massaroni, Betty Taylor, and the late Marc Moon — natural organizers all.
But for many it remained a struggle. In the 1990s, I gave similar advice to a meeting of Artists of Rubber City. They also took action, finding various places to exhibit before getting their own place near Don Drumm's on Crouse Street to exhibit and sell their work, and hold meetings.
But it wasn't until the Ohio Arts Council set up an experimental program in selected Ohio cities to form umbrella groups for the arts that the Akron Area Arts Alliance was born.
Remember the saying by the great Louis Pasteur, ''chance favors a prepared mind?'' Akron was prepared for the Alliance when it finally came to town. Taylor went to the organization to say there was a great need of a gallery dedicated to local art.
''The local arts groups were very independent'' of each other, as Raynor correctly states. ''Summit Artspace brought them together, and also exposed them to works by young, emerging artists,'' thanks to the dedicated organizing skills of people like Raynor and Laura Bidwell, both of whom took a lot of criticism when they started the annual Fresh Art exhibits, bringing in jurors from the surrounding universities instead of the comfy fellow artists who had previously juried shows.
Gradually, the entrenched attitudes and old comfort zones began to wear away. Artists began to see ''what their peers, who make up the Summit Artspace selection committee, chose to exhibit,'' Raynor noted.
''As their exposure has grown, their eyes, intellect and vision has broadened from the diversity of work shown in Summit Artspace.
''And that doesn't go just one way,'' she pointed out. ''I went to the gallery one day to lock up and found Ardith Mund sitting with UA student Toni Billick. Ardith is in her 70s and walks with a cane, and at the time, Toni had purple hair and several facial piercings. They were huddled together sharing ideas on each other's work. They didn't want their shift to end. That's an example of the energy that Summit Artspace has created in our art community.
''Summit Artspace brought UA and our local artists together,'' Raynor added. ''Summit Artspace has opened many of our artists' eyes and minds to the marvelous exhibitions at the museum, and it is Summit Artspace that gave them the opportunity to network and share ideas.''
All true.
Now, because of this ''perfect storm'' of museum, university, networking and lots of local talent, there are several new gallery spaces opening up: Mocha Maiden, Room with a View in the Ohio Building, Wei Gallery, the Zoo, Metro Bus Station. And Raynor has been asked to help create galleries for the lobbies of the new Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation and the GAR offices.
Summit Artspace has established an Artist Directory, which is steadily growing, at http://www.summitartspace.org/artists.aspx.
This is all wonderful for the local arts community. But to keep it going, they need us to support them.
Grow the arts. Buy local.
Rubbed out?
Word is folks at the Cleveland Museum of Art are reeling over the news that Director Timothy Rub will be leaving in September to become the director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
''Everyone is so upset,'' said a former staffer. ''It's really very, very sad. Just as the staff was beginning to feel some hope and things were progressing, now this.''
Another staffer said that at the symposium for the late former Cleveland Director Sherman Lee on Sunday, several former officials from the Lee era were on hand, including former Director (and Lee's daughter) Katherine Lee-Reid, but there was no talk of Rub leaving. Many staffers found out from the Plain Dealer on Monday morning, said another former employee.
Museum staffers don't like to talk about these sorts of things on the record. The museum's Board of Trustees has been known to be sour pickles. Now, however, they're merely in a pickle.
Congratulations are in order for Rub, but speaking of sour, it does leave that taste in one's mouth.
He, being the consummate wooer of art collectors, has brought into the Cleveland collection some very nice things that in different circumstances might have gone to other collections, such as the Akron Art Museum's.
Now suddenly, he's gone.
Today
Canton's First Friday — Chalk the Walk is the theme today on Fourth Street. Professional sidewalk artist Aaron Costic, along with 11 other artists will work the pavement; performers from the North Canton Playhouse production of Rent will be singing in the streets; Student Shakespeare Players will perform; find Summer Kids Crafts and the giveaway of free sidewalk chalk at Zephyr Wind Art, 337 Cleveland Ave. NW; and ''Spin Art that Will Make You Dizzy'' will be at the AGoG Teen Gallery, second floor of Second April, 324 Cleveland Ave. NW. The Art Street Parade steps off at Court and 6th Street at 7:30 p.m. Kids can make parade props beginning at 6 p.m. at Lynda Tuttle's Art Center, 209 Sixth St. NW. More information and events map at the First Friday Web site: http://www.cantonfirstfriday.com,or call Sarah Shumaker 330-453-1075, ext. 207.
Monday
Workshops — Art Outreach Gallery, 5555 Youngstown Warren Road, Eastwood Mall, Niles, holds Youth Summer Workshops begin Monday and run through July 31. 330-219-7833, 330-652-6980 orhttp://www.artoutreach.org.
Tuesday
Cartooning — The Medina County Arts Council sponsors classes in cartooning with Jim Gill, an alum of American Greetings, 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 9, 14 and 16 at 222 S. Broadway, in Medina's Public Square. $55. 330-725-6443 or 330-722-5502.
Deadline
Saturday — For artists to register for the fourth annual University Park Art Fair and Music Fest at Grace Park, to be held Aug. 15 in downtown Akron. Registration is $75, $25 for a student with valid university ID. To download a form, go to http://www.universityparkartfair.org. For more information, call 330-374-9470.
Dorothy Shinn writes about art and architecture for the Akron Beacon Journal. Send information to her at the Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640 or dtgshinn@neo.rr.com.
Well, I guess age is getting to me. I forgot to include Summit Artspace and the Akron Area Arts Alliance in my reasons the arts have progressed so robustly here in Akron in last Sunday's review of the Artists of Rubber City exhibit at Mocha Maiden.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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akron, OH
Posted 12:53 AM, 07/04/2009
wow Shinn wrote an entire article without bashing Bush! No mention of President Obama's stimulus plan that severely cut the NEA's funding? So severely that it's not even in there?
Clinton, Oh
Posted 09:36 AM, 07/04/2009
Test Comment. Ignore.
