Photo credit: Flickr user Knight Foundation. Related Link

Report: “Arts & Culture Assessment for Summit County” 

Today, the GAR and Knight foundations are releasing a new study on the arts in Akron, a first of its kind look at the challenges and opportunities for our arts institutions, future audiences and our community.  

Among the findings: While Akron residents both value and have a high demand for the arts, the sector is fragmented and lacking the leadership to push it forward. The executive summary, online now at theciviccommons.com/SummitArtsandCulture, also reveals data on the financial health of our organizations, in addition to recommendations on how to strengthen our cultural community.

The full report, produced by the Osgood Group and including data sets from 800 interviews with residents, will be available soon.

At Knight, we see the arts as an important catalyst for public dialogue, and the foundation for the kinds of shared experiences that foster a sense of place and identity. We hope this study provides a baseline the community can use continue to build the arts in Akron.

In coming days, a conversation will be started at www.theciviccommons.com so that the community can engage with one another on suggestions and ideas.  We hope this is the beginning of some rich conversations, and plans for the future.

Jennifer Thomas is the Akron program director for Knight Foundation