The Akron Cultural Plan is a natural next step in strong community efforts designed to understand and advance the arts and cultural sector.

Our city has been gathering data about what Akron wants and needs for many years. From Akron Community Foundation’s findings from “On the Table” and the Blue Ribbon Task Force’s 2016 assessment to the Greater Ohio Policy Center’s 62.4 Report and priorities from the Senior Citizens’ Commission and the Akron Civic Rights Commission, the cultural plan has been informed by a legacy of high-quality assessment and research.

In late 2012, the GAR Foundation and the Knight Foundation set out to understand the strengths, challenges, relevance, and opportunities for Summit County’s arts sector. Together they designed a research process—dubbed the Summit County Arts and Culture Initiative—that would arrive at this understanding by looking at multiple perspectives–not just that of arts organizations. This initiative marked the first time this type of work was done for or with the arts sector in the greater Akron area. A diverse, multi-sector, 19-member steering committee oversaw the research phase of the work. 

The final report told us:

  • Summit County has many great assets upon which to build, but many assets are in jeopardy, with waning relevance to audiences and eroding financial stability;

  • The business sector values a vibrant arts and culture scene as a key tool for talent attraction and retention, and yet businesses feel disconnected from the arts;

  • Consumers have to work too hard to find arts and culture offerings;

  • Many consumers want different kinds of arts experiences that are more relevant to their lives; and,

  • There is no “glue” holding the arts together as a high-functioning sector.

Armed with this rich information, the Steering Committee embarked upon the engagement phase, which kicked off in January 2014. During this process over 250 people from all walks of life attended working group meetings and dug into the work of shoring up greater Akron’s arts and culture sector.

Outcomes and Success

As the work crystalized, it became evident an organization was needed to meet the needs of Summit County and to fill a noticeable gap in the sector. In July of 2015, ArtsNow was created as the means of addressing these findings and serving as the conduit to ensure the arts and culture sector is fully leveraged in identifying community opportunities and moving us forward as a region.

And today, ArtsNow has been asked to shepherd this cultural planning process for the Akron community. 

Creating a cultural plan is a natural next step for Akron, and the strong work of past efforts has positioned the community to create an actionable plan, fueled by the voices of Akron residents, of what the future of the arts and culture sector will be.