Dedicated to enriching lives through modern and contemporary art, the current Akron Art Museum covers 20,000 square-feet of open gallery space and showcases regional, national and international art created since 1850. In addition, the museum offers many opportunities to "live creative" through programs that include films and video, lectures, workshops, tours, concerts, and public art projects.
Nearly a dozen exhibitions each year present prominent artists in various media including painting, sculpture, photography, video, design and glass. The museum’s collection is presented in a spectacular facility designed by Viennese architectural firm Coop Himmelb(l)au and includes over 5,000 works of art, with a strong focus on contemporary painting, sculpture and photography. Its nationally recognized collection was documented through the publication of collection catalogues.
Three acquisition endowments were created to ensure the collection's future growth. A greatly enlarged general endowment provided increased, more stable funding, allowing the staff to undertake ambitious programs and exhibitions with national and even international impact. In 2007, its eighty-fifth year, the museum more than tripled in size with the opening of the new John S. and James L. Knight Building, which adjoins the 1899 building. Spanning three centuries, like the museum's collection, together they symbolize the museum's dual role as preserver of the past and herald of the future.
Get a different perception of the world’s past at the Akron Fossils & Science Center. This family-friendly center presents a variety of hands-on exhibits and attractions designed to showcase the fossils and artifacts from the view of creation science and intelligent design, rather than the accepted scientific models of planetary and animal evolution, making it one of the most unique museums of its kind in America.
You may be surprised by what you find in the Akrona Galleries. This unassuming Tudor home, the historic Ayres Estate, was built in 1916 and has since been transformed into one of the most eclectic galleries. Filled with all types of contemporary artwork, you can find paintings, sculptures, glasswork and other art pieces from throughout these renovated rooms. Certain works from the selection of international, national and locally recognized artists are even for sale!
Love fashion? Then you’ll go gaga at the Kent State University Fashion Museum, dedicated to designer fashions from around the world, ranging from historic to modern clothing, textiles, furniture and other decorative arts. See fashion displays from top design houses, archives of photography and original sketches in this museum’s galleries. This is a must-see attraction for any budding fashionista.
Love jets and planes? Don’t miss theS Air Museum, a volunteer driven museum that displays a huge aircraft collection. Run by the Military Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS), this aviation museum specializes in preserving, restoring and showcasing aircraft from the US National Guard from its beginning up until today. See everything from an F-14 Tomcat to a Cobra Helicopter and even a Goodyear blimp!
Experience the galleries of Summit Artspace and immerse yourself in the contemporary culture of the Greater Akron community. See the reflection of the arts community through the continuously changing exhibitions. You can even participate in several arts activities and events hosted in the two adjacent classrooms throughout the year.
Learn why Akron is the City of Invention at the Invent Now Museum and Store. The original National Inventors Hall of Fame, this museum dedicated to tracing human, social and economic progress currently features rotating multimedia exhibits and attractions about innovative products, artifacts from the Patent and Trademark Office and portraits of all the honorees of the NIHF.