In partnership with thought leaders from across the nation, local experts and Summit County organizations, ArtsNow is thrilled to announce a curated calendar of 2021 art-based events designed to enable more art in more places for more people, titled ArtsNow Presents.

ArtsNow Presents—incorporating key priorities from the recent Akron Cultural Plan like public art, placemaking and connection—is intended for artists and Summit County’s creative community as well as historians, scientists, environmentalists and conservationists, public art enthusiasts and anyone interested in learning more about the role art and environment play in our communities.

Available at artsnow.org/artsnow-presents, the four upcoming events include two of the best public art minds in the country, Dr. Paul Farber of Monument Lab and environmental artist Stacy Levy.

• Monument Lab, April 8, 2021 — Dr. Paul Farber will discuss the role of monuments in public art, public space and the community. This event is in partnership with Akron Zoo, The University of Akron, Summit County Historical Society, Akron Civic Commons and Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition.
• Revealing Nature, April 22, 2021 — Stacy Levy will look at how art can create ecological legibility and help us all understand the natural world in our backyards, parks and urban spaces.
• When Art Works, April 28, 2021 — In her second series, Stacy Levy will explore how, through embracing change and observing and mimicking the action of natural processes, art can begin to make real changes to the environment.
• The Brass Tacks of Public Art Workshop, May 5, 2021 — Join renowned environmental artist Stacy Levy for a look inside her process of approaching a public art project.
• Each event featuring Stacy Levy is in partnership with the City of Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Akron Zoo Summit Metro Parks and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Dr. Paul Farber is Director of Monument Lab and also serves as Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Public Art & Space at the University of Pennsylvania. Farber’s Monument Lab is the inaugural grantee of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s “Monuments Project,” a $250 million initiative that aims to “transform the way our country’s histories are told in public spaces.”

Stacy Levy is a sculptor who works with ecological natural patterns and processes, often using water and water flows as a medium. Her studio is based in rural Pennsylvania, but she works on projects around the world. She has public commissions in New York, Seattle, Philadelphia, Tampa, Toronto and Niigata, Japan.

“I am so excited to join the conversation in Summit County around public art. Art has the power to help translate and solve environmental issues. I look forward to sharing my experiences with this vibrant community of scientists, ecologists, planners, engineers, designers and supporters of the arts,” shared Levy. “This region is poised to take an active role in creating works that address current issues.”

“The ArtsNow forthcoming events will open our minds to how the environment impacts and helps to broaden our understanding of the arts in a variety of ways,” said Dr. Sheldon Wrice, University of Akron interim vice president for inclusion and equity and chief diversity officer. “The University of Akron is excited to be a part of the showcasing of Dr. Farber’s important work centered around monuments and public space as a way to examine history, foster engagement and influence what it means to be a community.