Program areas at Summit Artspace
Summit Artspace is home to five galleries: the taylor main gallery, intersections gallery, welcome gallery, horizons gallery and forum gallery. These galleries host over 25 exhibitions a year, featuring local artists and engaging thousands of visitors, both in-person and virtually. Quarterly exhibition cycles feature a wide variety of artists and visual mediums, and a combination of juried, solo and group artist exhibitions. Summit Artspace maintains public hours on fridays and saturdays and special events. Summit Artspace curate spaces throughout the community to display art to over 30,000 individuals during their daily activities.
Summit Artspace is home to nearly 30 artists and artist-serving organizations for working studio space that allow artists to create work and engage with the public. The building, formally the headquarters of the akron beacon journal and the akron public library, is owned by the county of Summit, which is a valued partner in ensuring free and public access to the arts. Summit Artspace produces public programs that encourage a robust and sustained "exchange" between the northeast Ohio residents and Summit county artists. Outcomes include increased arts engagement, direct connections with local artists, and artwork sales. Events include artwalk, artist sunday, the arts alive awards, and collaborations with other organizations such as junior leadership akron and the state of Ohio poet laureate.
Programs to assist artists with wraparound care and professional skills are an important opportunity for Summit Artspace to implement the akron cultural plan across multiple priorities, including talent development. A signature offering is its artist care programs (artist launchpad, professional practice, and one-to-one), which provide entrepreneurial and skill-building sessions from local artists and content experts to support artists as they develop their practices. Participating artists represent multiple mediums including theatre, dance and visual art. Programs are offered on a sliding scale, and most offer scholarships to participants who require financial support. Summit Artspace also collaborates with local artists and arts/culture organizations to offer rehearsal, meeting, instruction and space at an in-kind or reduced rate.