Akron Community Foundation
June 8, 2018
AKRON, Ohio (June 8, 2018) – Today, Akron Community Foundation’s board of directors approved grants totaling $2,217,890, including $588,500 in competitive arts and culture grants chosen by the foundation’s Community Investment Committee.
This quarter’s arts and culture funding included a $5,000 grant to The Curated Storefront to bring vibrancy to downtown Akron through window art displays in vacant street-level buildings.
The Curated Storefront is a series of ongoing exhibitions that will revitalize unused storefronts in downtown Akron with multimedia art installations along Main, Market and Exchange streets. To date, the project has transformed more than 40 spaces in prominent locations like Cascade Plaza and the United Building.
Curated Storefront Director Richard Rogers said the exhibitions are attracting new businesses to Akron.
“My idea is to use art in these empty storefronts to attract more commercial development downtown and bring people here to live and re-energize Akron,” Rogers said. “We’ve heard a lot of good feedback from the community. We’ve had some storefronts that have been empty for a number of years, including where Akronym Brewing is now located. That space was empty for eight years, and we programmed it for about six months before it was rented.”
... read more of the article by clicking the headline text and watch the video segment detailing many of this quarter's recipients.
To find the current Curated Storefront exhibitions around town, click https://tinyurl.com/ybcczcuk.