Press Release
Richard Rogers
Turning Adversity Into Artistic Expression: ...

The reimagined masks in Curated Storefront’s online exhibit, MASK-R-AID, can now be seen in person in the storefronts of the Polsky Building, at 12 University Avenue in downtown Akron through September 25, 2020. The skillfully transformed masks demonstrate the ingenuity and persistence of these artists, even in the face of a pandemic and economic shutdown.

Turning Adversity Into Artistic Expression: Curated Storefront’s Exhibit, MASK-R-AID, on view in downtown Akron

Curated Storefront

Call for Artists: MASK-R-AID

Call for Artists: MASK-R-AID

In response to the CDC's recommendation for people to wear masks in public and as COVID-19 continues to impact the arts ecosystem, Curated Storefront announces a call for artists to create functional masks to be put into production, sold online at www.CuratedStorefront.org, and exhibited at a Curated Storefront site.

Curated Storefront’s mission is to support the creative economy by continuing to provide artists with a source of income. Half of the proceeds from sales will go back to artists directly with the remainder benefiting Curated Storefront. This puts great art in the hands and on the faces of the public while helping them to stay safe.

Curated Storefront works to attract investment to downtown Akron through public art displays

Curated Storefront works to attract investment to downtown Akron through public art displays

Curated Storefront is a 2016 $100,000 Knight Arts Challenge winner that aims to showcase buildings that are abandoned, with a few under renovation, through ongoing, curated exhibitions. The current multimedia work ranges from brilliantly lit LED displays to digitally printed, cut and folded paper houses.

The idea is to draw people into downtown and activate the properties, some of which sat empty for years but sold or were rented within months of being highlighted through the project, said Executive Director Rick Rogers.

Western Reserve PBS show, Around Akron with Blue Green, Features Curated Storefront and Other Downtown Family Fun Destinations

Western Reserve PBS show, Around Akron with Blue Green, Features Curated Storefront and Other Downtown Family Fun Destinations

This episode of Around Akron with Blue Green is all about family fun, education and culture. Blue Green visits the Curated Storefront project, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Lock 3 Akron and Akron Zoo.

Spoils of Akron Podcast: Episode 116 Highlights Curated Storefronts and a Unique Vantage Point of Akron's Landscape

Spoils of Akron Podcast: Episode 116 Highlights Curated Storefronts and a Unique Vantage Point of Akron's Landscape

This week, we welcome the multi-talented Courtney Cable, Creative Director of the Curated Storefront program, which manages multimedia public art installations in some of downtown Akron's vacant buildings, helping to beautify these spaces as they await development.

WKSU Reports: Curated Storefront Puts Art at Downtown Akron's Street Level

WKSU Reports: Curated Storefront Puts Art at Downtown Akron's Street Level

"Passing through downtown Akron will now be a little more colorful thanks to a project called Curated Storefront. The project puts art installations in buildings at street-level, including vacant spaces, in an effort to make urban areas more welcoming. There are 13 installations in all."

Click the title link to experience the full segment by WKSU Producer, Andrew Atkins.

Artist Ron White Featured in Western Reserve PBS TV Show Around Akron with Blue Green

Artist Ron White Featured in Western Reserve PBS TV Show Around Akron with Blue Green

Curated Storefront artist Ron White is one of three artists featured in the Western Reserve PBS TV show Around Akron with Blue Green. Click the title to navigate to the 30 minute broadcast and learn about some of the Movers and Shakers that make this city great.

O'Neil's Storefront Inspired by New Dance Festival Coming to Akron June 2017

O'Neil's Storefront Inspired by New Dance Festival Coming to Akron June 2017

“With Akron’s reputation for dance, and audiences hungry for it, the city is a perfect platform for a festival that showcases new and emerging artists,” says Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation, a sponsor of the event, in a press release.

Hip-hop dancers, graffiti artists collide in Neos Dance Theatre’s latest work

Hip-hop dancers, graffiti artists collide in Neos Dance Theatre’s latest work

Fenn also explores relationships between classical and urban artists by integrating art curator Courtney Cable into the dance. The arts administrator is program coordinator for the Akron Art Museum’s Inside| Out project, which places art reproductions around town in public spaces, and also runs Curated Storefront, a Knight Arts Challenge project that installs artwork in vacant or under utilized storefronts in downtown Akron.

For dance.r.evolution, videographer Trowbridge has captured Cable organizing the Storefront. She also interacts live with Neos dancers Matt Roberts, Kassie Lee and Katherine Tackett, “curating” their dance by handing them each numbers that represent different music phrases. At each rehearsal, the dancers execute the phrases in different sequences each time she gives them different numbers.

“Every time we do a rehearsal, it’s different,” Cable said. “We all need to be flexible with one another and listen.”