2026 ArtsForward Grant Recipients
Congratulations to the 2026 ArtsForward Grant Recipients!
Photo credit, ACCESS
ACCESS, Inc
Child Art Therapy
$5,000
After the success of our existing Art Therapy Program for adult women in our shelter, ACCESS will be adding a Child Art Therapy Program. At ACCESS, we recognize children as individuals with unique needs that differ from those of their caregivers. Through our partnership with Art Therapy Studio, we will provide 20 child art therapy sessions led by credentialed therapists and specifically designed to meet the varying needs of children. This program will provide an outlet for children experiencing homelessness to explore creativity, while giving them a space to process emotions, reduce stress, and build resilience.
“ACCESS is proud to be an ArtsForward grant recipient! We look forward to our partnership for children in our emergency shelter to participate in art-based therapeutic programming.” – Jackie Hemsworth, Executive Director
Akron Creative Inc. DBA The Nightlight Cinema
The Nightlight Free Film Research, Lending Library and Archive
$22,500
The Nightlight Free Film Research, Lending Library, and Archive gives members free access to a curated DVD collection, books on film history and criticism, and a digitized collection of original Akron cinema advertisements from the 1920s to 1935. Paired with an intimate micro-cinema for screenings, film talks, and community discussion, it is Akron’s only free film research and education resource, built by cinema experts.
Akron Recording CompanyAkron Sound: A multicultural concert series
$15,000
ARC proposes a concert series to celebrate the diversity, creativity, and cultural richness of the current Akron music scene. Through the concert series, we’ll showcase local artists representing a wide range of musical styles and cultural traditions. Each event will integrate music, food, & art to create an inclusive, community focused cultural experience. The events will be produced into an audio/visual archive, preserving this moment in Akron’s cultural journey for future public access.
Photo credit, Akron Soul Train
Akron Soul Train
Akron Soul Train Digital Archive & Public Platform
$25,000
Akron Soul Train will develop a fully accessible digital archive and redesigned website that serves as a dynamic, public-facing platform documenting its Artist-in-Residence program. The project will create a virtual library of artist projects, interviews, and community engagement initiatives, expanding access to over a decade of interdisciplinary creative work while providing artists, educators, and the broader public with new opportunities for meaningful, virtual engagement.
“We’re incredibly grateful to ArtsNow for investing in the next chapter of Akron Soul Train. This project will transform a decade of artist residencies into a living digital archive, preserving the work, stories, and community impact of more than 100 artists while making these creative experiences more accessible—Together, we’re creating a lasting resource that will inspire, educate, and connect our community for years to come.”
Photo credit, provided by Ballet in the City
Ballet in the City
IN PERFORMANCE
$5,000
Ballet in the City received an ArtsForward grant in 2024 to launch its ‘Silver Steps’ program which continues to exceed expectations. It provides hope, consistency, and physical and artistic fulfillment for older adults that otherwise may never have been welcomed into a ballet class. No opportunities exist for Senior ballet dancers to perform, and through the ArtsNow IN PERFORMANCE Grant, Ballet in the City will provide that opportunity. These performances will put adults who love ballet and meet goals in weekly classes in the spotlight.
“Northeast Ohio is a fantastic place to call home, and ArtsNow is part of the reason why. ArtsNow encourages artists and arts organizations to pursue their ideas and visions, strengthening our region through meaningful relationships sparked by the arts. ArtsNow truly makes what was once impossible (and may be impossible in other parts of our country) possible.”
Photo credit, provided by Barberton Historical Society
Barberton Historical Society
The Silver Ribbon Dream Project: Immersing Youth in Ohio’s Canal Heritage
$25,000
The Silver Ribbon Dream Project elevates regional history through an immersive, curriculum-aligned stage experience. Produced in partnership with Magical Theatre and the Barberton Historical Society, Silver Ribbon Dream uses musical dramatization to transform history into a vivid, active learning experience. Marking the canal’s bicentennial, this original work reimagines Ohio’s canal history as a professional stage narrative, making regional heritage tangible and accessible to students.
Photo credit, provided by Cascade Locks Park Association
Cascade Locks Park Association
Howard Street Jazz Gateway at Lock 10
$18,000
The Howard Street Jazz Gateway activates the Beech Street Trailhead at Lock 10 through a mural installation and interactive musical elements celebrating Akron’s “Little Harlem” history. The project creates a safe, vibrant destination along the Towpath, presents an undertold story of import, and drives connectivity between Lock 3, CVSR, Northside, the Mustill Store, and Cascade Locks Park – Akron’s natural gateway to the north.
Photo credit, provided by Citizens Akron Church
Citizens Akron Church dba The Vincent House
East Akron Middle Schoolers Dance through The Dance Exchange
$7,500
After the success of our K-5 program in the Dance Exchange, The Vincent House is building a middle school program. Starting with 20 students, we will be offering ballet and hip-hop classes. In support of their families, we will also offer supplemental support of dance attire and shoes.
Photo credit, Tim Fitzwater
Curated Storefront
Outside the Box Community Engagement Pilot
$18,000
Curated Storefront’s Outside the Box Community Engagement Pilot will activate an underused Northside art site as a free public space for gathering and neighborhood connection. Beginning in summer 2026, the two-phase pilot will add consistent public hours, programming, and site improvements to increase visibility and use. In 2027, it will expand to weekly staffed hours, monthly artist-led programs, and community social events, advancing the Akron/Summit Cultural Plan’s Placemaking priority.
Photo credit, provided by Gum-Dip Theatre
Gum-Dip Theatre
Girl of Fire by LaDonna BlueEye
$18,000
Girl of Fire is a one-woman theatrical performance that blends storytelling, spoken word, song, and projected imagery. LaDonna BlueEye illuminates her path as a two-spirit woman and finds strength through the historical legacy of her ancestors from the Choctaw Nation. Her Indigenous identity, language, and culture serve as a source of healing through careers in the military, academia, and now live performance. The production will be staged in Akron to further develop the production and allow local community members to engage with it.
Killer Video
Killer Klowns From Outer Space: A Live-to-Picture Orchestral Experience
$25,000
Killer Video will host a Flashback Screening of Killer Klowns From Outer Space at the Akron Civic Theatre, featuring the Akron Pops Orchestra performing the score live. The event includes a retrospective Q&A with creators the Chiodo Brothers. This project engages cinema fans and music enthusiasts, merging Hollywood legacy with Akron’s local talent to create a multi-sensory theatrical experience that celebrates both cult film history and live orchestral performance.
Magical Theatre Company
The Magic Within
$12,000
“The Magic Within” is the debut of a year-round theatre education program for kids in Summit County, in a newly renovated building specifically for this purpose.
Nick Lee
Portrait of the University of Akron’s Japanese student Iwahiko Tsumanuma
$13,800
This public art piece spotlights Akron’s Asian American history with a painting of renowned architect and former Buchtel College student (now The University of Akron) Iwahiko Tsumanuma from 1907. Through this project we celebrate a prominent University of Akron alumni with a commemorative portrait.
Photo credit, provided by North American Indian Cultural Center
North American Indian Cultural Center
ROOTED IN CULTURE – Intergenerational Learning Through Native Traditions (ROOTED IN CULTURE)
$22,500
ROOTED IN CULTURE is an arts-forward program serving Native and non-Native youth and adults throughout Summit County. Participants will learn traditional Indigenous arts such as beadwork, moccasin making, loom weaving, flint knapping, quill work, ribbon skirts/shirts, and dancing/drumming through hands-on workshops led by cultural knowledge holders. Along with learning the skills, participants will also learn the cultural meaning, history, and traditional materials behind these practices.
NAICC is very grateful to ArtsNow for supporting this project – helping us create a cultural learning experience for the Summit County community. Our goal is to share the living traditions, customs, and stories of Native people, showing that our cultures are not just a part of history – they continue to thrive today!! WE. ARE. STILL. HERE!!
Photo credit, provided by North Hill Community Development Corporation
North Hill Community Development Corporation
Common Ground: Summer at Waters Park
$20,000
NHCDC is excited to plan and produce an arts series for 2027, Common Ground: Summer at Waters Park, in the North Hill neighborhood of Akron, Ohio. Arts activities will range from live performances to interactive workshops. The project will engage multiple cultural and neighborhood organizations, residents, and community stakeholders. It will serve all Akronites, with outreach focused on North Hill residents.
Proyecto RAICES
Loteria Akronera
$13,900
Loteria Akronera is a reimagined 54-card Loteria deck that bridges Mexican cultural tradition and Akron identity through original art. Proyecto RAICES, 2-6 Greater Akron-based Latine artists, and a civic leader and cultural equity expert rooted in both communities will replace all people-based and somber cards with Akron-specific icons, retaining beloved Mexican cultural symbols to teach language, tradition, and place — sale proceeds benefiting Proyecto RAICES directly.
Photo credit, provided by StarFall Creative Collective
StarFall Creative Collective
Community Art Supply Pantry by StarFall Creative Collective
$3,000
The Community Art Supply Pantry by StarFall Creative Collective is a free, donation based resource hub that collects and redistributes art materials to local artists and community members. Hosted at Summit Artspace, the program reduces financial barriers to art making while supporting reuse, sustainability, and community connection through ongoing access and public events.
Photo credit, provided by Summit Artspace
Summit Artspace
Launching an Incubator Program Out of Summit Artspace’s Emerging Artist Residency Studio
$25,000
Summit Artspace will super-power its Emerging Artist Residency (EAR) studio, a temporary shared work space for recent grads and other emerging artists at pivotal points in their careers. Through the ArtsForward grant, the studio will be transformed into an artist incubator program to help launch sustainable careers for local emerging artists through access to free work space, mentorship, exhibition opportunities, professional development, and stipends.
Image credit, provided by Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners
Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners
The “Water Cycle”: Mobile Art & Environmental Education Station
$10,000
Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners is bringing art and nature together with The Water Cycle, a new mobile art and environmental education station traveling to communities in northern Summit County. Participants will get creative through hands-on art projects and interactive activities while discovering how water moves through our neighborhoods and connects us to local streams and rivers. Led by an educator and artist over two summers, The Water Cycle will bring fun, accessible programming directly to all, but especially to communities with fewer opportunities to experience arts and environmental education.