19 Great Things That Happened in Akron in 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, we at GAR Foundation are pausing to reflect on what we have learned and accomplished in partnership with you this year. It has been an eventful one for us, marked by the launch of several new initiatives: Essential Experiences, STARS, and Elevate Greater Akron.
22 simple tips for a more accessible arts & culture event
“Accessibility is being able to get into a building. Diversity is getting invited to the table. Inclusion is having a voice at the table. Belonging is having your voice heard at the table.”
The Conservancy for Cuyahoga National Park hosts Ohio’s first-ever Latino Conservation Week
The Conservancy for Cuygahoga Valley National Park recently hosted Ohio’s first-ever Latino Conservation Week to engage the Latino community in the outdoors and create awareness around conservation. The event is part of the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to make the park more welcoming to minority populations. GAR Foundation supported the CVNP’s diversity and […]
Why an inclusive arts & culture plan is the perfect next step for Akron
By: Rob Lehr & Dina Younis Communities of all sizes develop plans – strategic plans, economic development plans, urban design plans – but a cultural plan? You betcha. From festivals to food trucks, arts and culture are among a community’s most powerful assets. But in order to ensure that we are effectively caring for and […]
Akron is embarking on its first Arts and Culture Plan
ArtsNow and Designing Local are taking a closer look at Akron’s existing arts and cultural offerings and inviting residents to share what they want to see in each of Akron’s neighborhoods. The end result: Akron’s first-ever comprehensive cultural plan. ArtsNow has received funding from GAR Foundation and Knight Foundation to work together with the City […]
The Pillars of the Akron Civic Commons
The Akron Civic Commons works across three neighborhoods in Akron: Downtown, Park East, and Summit Lake, and the process is guided by four pillars: Civic Engagement, Socioeconomic Mixing, Value Creation, and Environmental Sustainability. But what do these mean in the context of their work? All throughout the month of January the Akron Civic Commons shared […]
New $5 million investment from GAR Foundation and Knight Foundation will help build a more vibrant, connected downtown with restoration of Akron Civic Theatre
Akron, Ohio — Nov. 15, 2018 — Akron Civic Theatre today announced plans to transform Akron’s Whitelaw Building into a vibrant new theatre, revitalizing a key corridor of Akron’s primary downtown entertainment and residential district and introducing new opportunities for Akron residents to meet and connect. The project is a collaboration with the Bowery Development […]
Why We Ask: SummitLive365.com
This post is part of a series. Click here to read all of the posts in this series. GAR’s arts and culture applicants are asked if they self-publish events on Summit County’s free marketing and event calendar, SummitLive365. This website, facilitated by ArtsNow, is designed to serve as a centralized source of information for arts and […]
ArtsNow: Connect, create, collaborate
It’s been nearly two years since GAR Foundation and the Knight Foundation, both long time funders of the arts and culture sector in Greater Akron, set out to engage the community to uncover a clear, objective picture of the current arts and culture landscape in Summit County. The goal was to examine the arts and […]
Arts in Akron: Add Your Voice to the Chorus
Sometimes you can just feel it. You can’t always describe it or measure it or explain it. But you feel it and that is enough. We are feeling it right now for Akron’s arts and culture scene. Over the course of the past year, we’ve had many touch points with the community around arts. We […]