If you’re going to wear a mask in public, why not make a statement with it?
That’s the thinking behind the Mask-R-Aid show, a current gallery exhibition that invited Northeast Ohio artists to re-imagine the COVID-19 mask as a work of art.
Creativity unmasked: Akron artist captures extreme reactions to coronavirus pandemic
As the coronavirus crisis developed in March, Akron artist and Barberton art teacher Ron White thought that something was off about people’s reaction.
“Usually people were much calmer when we had a past experience,” White said.
He saw an extreme response that didn’t make sense. People were snatching up groceries and supplies so quickly that stores couldn’t keep some items on the shelves.
On social media, he saw posts about individuals building man caves underground. Society seemed to be overreacting to a situation the populace hadn’t confronted before.
“Where’s this going to go?” White asked himself.
Artistic masks at Curated Storefront on exhibit, for sale
If anybody knows how to put some fun into having to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic, it looks like Curated Storefront does.
The organization is hosting MASK-R-AID, an online exhibition of artistic yet functional masks that kicks off Friday and runs through Sept. 25. At 6 p.m. Friday, the organization will announce live on its Facebook page its first- through third-place mask design winners, who will receive cash awards of $2,500, $1,000 and $300.
Gamers find Pokemon and artwork in downtown Akron
On Saturday afternoon, the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau hoped to entice at least some of those gamers to experience the public art covering walls and storefronts downtown and perhaps catch a shiny Squirtle or secure a coveted mythical Celebi.
The event, dubbed Good Art Hunting, is one of three planned here over the next few months and is being spearheaded by Roger Riddle, the visitors bureau’s marketing and social media manager, in collaboration with the game’s creator. It came about from a Niantic/Knight Fellowship designed to enhance community programs and is among similar events in cities like Philadelphia; Macon, Ga.; and Charlotte, N.C.
Superchief and Hieronymus Objects Fill An Abandoned Storefront in Akron, Ohio With Art
Superchief Gallery and Hieronymus Objects teamed up for a blowout exhibit in Akron, Ohio as an unofficial exhibit for the Front Triennial, a multi-city event that goes on until September 30th, 2018. Hieronymus Objects is a massive collection of artworks that resemble the work of 15th-century Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch, including work from Keith Haring, Salvador Dali, Shepard Fairey, Takashi Murakami, Koak, Bonethrower, and many more.