2013 KnightArts Akron grants via Knight Foundation on Flickr Today, we are excited to celebrate new investments in the Akron arts scene, with $750,000 in support to 14 organizations exploring ways to engage new audiences while maintaining our community’s history of artistic excellence. This year has been one of creativity in Akron. Rising artists are creating new ventures: NEOS Dance Director Bobby Wesner expanded his company, and Akron Film+Pixel director Steve Felix will open an independent cinema. In addition, cultural mainstays, including the Akron Symphony, are experimenting - in the symphony’s case by melding professional musicians and local dance companies in a production of The Rite of Spring. As my colleague Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation’s Vice President for Arts, told the Akron Beacon Journal: “You start to see this kind of organic bubbling in Akron and we get excited about that, because it shows that there are things happening in the community at the grassroots level...We want to look for and provide fuel for that organic momentum.” The grants also build on our $1 million in support to the Akron Art Museum over the past year, which will help that institution engage a broader audience. The arts are an important part of Akron's vibrancy. Their evolution will help keep new and loyal audiences engaged, and strengthen the sense of community we are known for. I’m looking forward to seeing how the projects listed below develop.
