AKRON, Ohio — Following a one-year hiatus, the Knight Akron Arts Challenge is back, naming six winning artists and organizations. The winners will share nearly $400,000 to help them develop projects designed to connect Akronites with one another.
To win, applicants answered one question in a 150-word proposal: “What’s your best idea for the arts in Akron?”
To select the winners, the Knight Foundation over the years has emphasized different characteristics of that projects that connect people through art.
This year, Knight said it looked for applicants who use innovative ways to reach a broader audience — in person, virtually or digitally — especially those who don’t normally have access to the arts.
Knight also awarded $10,000 tech grants to all six arts challenge winners as well as to eight other applicants to help pay for tech-related equipment and services, Knight said.
To help manage the grant money, tech-grant recipients will have access to business-related training such as budgeting, marketing and revenue generation, Knight said.
Victoria Rogers, Knight’s arts program president, said in a release that despite the pandemic, Akron’s applicants showed creativity and innovation.
“They adapted and used technology during the pandemic to reach audiences wherever they are,” she said. “The ability to inform, engage and connect people through their art is a gift to all of us, and we’re proud to help bring these ideas to life.”
In Akron, the arts are an essential part of community life, said Knight’s Akron Program Director Kyle Kutuchief.
“Whether it's a dance performance, a concert or an immersive experience, Akron’s artists help connect Akronites to their city and to each other, helping build a more engaged community,” Kutuchief said.
This is the fifth year of the Knight Arts Challenge, which to date has distributed more than $3.3 million for Akron ideas. The arts challenge reflects the Knight Foundation’s assertion that the arts are vital to a healthy democracy, and contribute to better informed communities, Knight said.
In past years, arts challenge winners were required to raise funding to match the Knight allocation, which was not a condition of the challenge this year.
Akron Arts Challenge winners:
Gum-Dip Theatre $60,000 — Brokers Without Borders
Gum-Dip Theatre’s former refugee ensemble created a play that illustrates the experiences of “culture brokers,” immigrants who help their friends, families and sometimes entire communities navigate a new world.
Akron Black Artist Guild $128,000 — The Art & Park Collective
The newly created Black Artist Guild is launching a project that offers Black artists opportunities to incorporate technology into performances, workshops and demonstrations in public parks.
Natalie Warren $46,000 —The Onyx Club Exhibitions: Hidden Gems
Warren is creating a series of year-round exhibitions to make Black history and culture more accessible to Akronites.
Radio on the Lake Theatre $18,000 — Listening to History: An Akron Radio Play Tour for the Visually Challenged
This project uses a mobile radio tour to present five local historical landmarks for Akron’s visually challenged.
The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University $125,000 — Mapping Akron: A Poetic Exploration of Home
The Wick Center is creating a pop-up exhibit around the city through an interactive and poetic map.
QuTheatr $16,000 — Pride 365
A community-driven performance based on stories told during monthly queer gatherings to be presented in summer 2022.
Arts Challenge Tech Grant recipients:
- Gum-Dip Theatre
- Akron Black Artist Guild
- Natalie Warren
- Radio on the Lake Theatre
- The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University
- QuTheatr
- Kent State University Foundation
- Tyron Hoisten
- Dominic Moore-Dunson
- Sarah Kabot
- Ebrahim Poustinchi
- Vince Giles - 4 Pillars Edutainment
- Akron Soul Train
- Megan Young