AKRON, OHIO (November 29, 2023) – Angry cows, ghosts and bipolar butterflies are the names of just some of the projects being funded by Summit County’s arts advocacy agency ArtsNow. The group announced about $450,000 in grants on Tuesday to greater Akron arts and culture nonprofits and artists.

It’s the first year for ArtsForward grants, which is guided by goals from the Akron/Summit Cultural Plan, including advocating for K-12 arts programing and encouraging investment in public art projects.

ArtsNow executive director Nicole Mullet said that matching funds from the Knight Foundation will allow them to award close to $2 million over the next four years. This year’s recipients were chosen by a panel of artists, community members and funders.

“The projects that were submitted were thoughtful,” she said. “They would have all advanced the cultural plan and that committee had a really tough job.”

One of the goals of the cultural plan is supporting art which speaks to mental health challenges and Summit County’s aging population.

“It’s an interesting time to be looking at how our arts community has been rallying around mental health and how we can continue to do that when we add a bit of resources to the mix,” she said. “There’s a myriad of studies and resources out there that are telling us… when you’re talking about trauma recovery or aging, the power and healing that is available through art.”

Aging in Akron
One project focused on aging is “West Akron Through Time,” a series of mini documentaries about aging Black residents on Akron’s West Side. Filmmaker Tyron Hoisten said he was partly inspired by stories from his great-grandparents about coming north to work in Akron’s rubber industry during the Great Migration. They’ve passed away, and Hoisten hopes to capture similar stories before it’s too late.

“It’s about interviewing people to get their stories,” he said. “Who they are, what brought them to Akron and how they… became a patch in the giant quilt that is Akron. The basis of this is an African proverb: ‘When an elder dies, a library closes.’”

ArtsNow plans to announce additional grants for individual artists before the end of 2023. Mullet plans to open next year’s grant process earlier, possibly in early spring. Funding also comes from the Akron Community Foundation, Burton D. Morgan Foundation and GAR Foundation.

2024 grants approved

Angry Cow Poetry in the Rialto Living Room
Keith Allison, $2,000

Music for All
Eri Snowden-Rodriguez, $5,000

Morgan Park Mural
Akron Parks Collaborative, $8,000

Branding the Downtown Barberton Arts and Entertainment District
Main Street Barberton, $9,840

Peninsula Art Academy 20th Anniversary –Building for the Future
Peninsula Art Academy, $10,000

Say It Loud
Millennial Theatre Project, $10,000

Therapeutic Theater
Makeshift Theater, Inc., $14,594

Dynamite Duos, dancers with disabilities program
ArtSparks, $15,000

West Akron Through Time
Tyron Hoisten, $15,000

Proyecto Letras: Literary Voices of Akron Youth
Proyecto RAÍCES, $16,250
Funded in partnership with Summit County ADM Board

WORKSHOP
Micah Kraus, $17,337

The Accessibility Library
$20,000
Funded in partnership with Summit DD

Assuage HER
J. Travis, $25,000
Funded in partnership with County of Summit Executive’s Office, Community Development Block Grant Funds

Bipolar Butterfly Unify
Kimmy Henderson, $25,000
Funded in partnership with Summit County ADM Board

Community Paste Up Wall
Collide Cuyahoga Falls, $20,000

Qu in Recovery
QuTheatr, $20,000

“We do it for the Water”
The Lippman School, $20,000
Funded in partnership with County of Summit Executive’s Office

Skin Color
Althea Jones, $21,400

Reflection Series
The Chameleon Village Theatre Collective, $24,500

Ghosts in the Magic City
Magical Theatre Company, $25,000

Artist Advancement: Unleashing Creativity, Self-Care, and Inclusive Leadership
Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture, $25,000

The Nightlight Website Rebuild and Accessibility Initiative
The Nightlight Cinema, $25,000

Helping Artists Thrive: “Artist Care” Services
Summit Artspace, $25,000

Creative Aging Institute at the Akron Art Museum
Akron Art Museum, $25,000

Shadows to Light: Revealing Bhutanese Refugee Resilience
Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture, $25,000