Public Engagement Numbers

Stakeholders Interviewed: 153

Organizations: 101

  • 91.3 The Summit

  • Acid Cats

  • Akron Art Museum

  • Akron Children’s Museum

  • Akron Children’s Hospital

  • Akron City Council

  • Akron Civic Theatre

  • Akron Community Foundation

  • Akron Film Collective

  • Akron Public Schools

  • Akron Soul Train

  • Akron Summit County Public Library

  • Akron Symphony Orchestra

  • Akron Zoo

  • Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

  • Akron/Summit County Convention & Visitors Bureau

  • Alchemy, Inc

  • Arlington Church of God

  • Art Bomb Brigade

  • Art of Matt Miller

  • ArtSparks

  • ArtsCleveland

  • ArtxLove

  • Big Love Network

  • Bluff Blue Door

  • Build Corp

  • City of Akron

  • Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park

  • Corbin Foundation

  • Countryside

  • County of Summit

  • Crafty Mart

  • Crain’s Cleveland Business

  • Curated Storefront

  • Design Innovation Initiative, Kent State University

  • Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities

  • Don Drumm Studios

  • Downtown Akron Partnership

  • Dreams Academy

  • East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation

  • EY

  • Friends of Metro Parks, Akron Parks Collaborative

  • FRONT International

  • GAR Foundation

  • Goodyear

  • Hale Farm & Village

  • Harwick Standard Distribution

  • Hazel Tree Design Studio

  • Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival

  • Himalayan Arts Language & Cultural Academy (HALCA)

  • House of Kung Fu

  • Hower House

  • Huntington Bank

  • Inlet Dance Theatre

  • Jaron LeGrair Studio

  • Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance

  • Kent State University

  • Kent State University, School of Theatre and Dance

  • Knight Foundation

  • Krunchworks

  • Leandra Drumm Designs

  • Lieberth Consulting Group

  • Magical Theatre Company

  • Mayor’s Commission on Senior Citizens

  • Mural Arts Philadelphia

  • Mustard Seed Market & Cafe

  • Myers School of Art, The University of Akron

  • National Center for Choreography

  • Neighborhood Network

  • New Millennium Baptist Church

  • New World Performance Lab / The University of Akron Theater and Arts Administration

  • Northeast Ohio Healing Alliance

  • Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition

  • Ohio Shakespeare Festival

  • One View Communications

  • Peg’s Foundation

  • QuTheatr

  • Research Triangle Foundation

  • Roetzel & Andress

  • Rubber City Theatre

  • Shane Wynn Photography

  • South Street Ministries

  • St. Sebastian Church

  • Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens

  • Students with a Goal (SWAG)

  • Summit Artspace

  • Summit County Historical Society

  • Summit County Landbank

  • Summit Education Initiative

  • Summit Food Coalition

  • Summit Metro Parks

  • Tuesday Musical

  • University of Akron

  • University of Akron, Buchtel College of Art and Sciences

  • University of Akron, Cummings Center for the History of Psychology

  • VIBE Collective

  • Weathervane Playhouse

  • Well CDC

  • Woodrow Nash Studios

  • YEPAW

  •  Jewish Community Board of Akron

Number of online surveys: 474

Neighborhood Meet-Ups: 11 neighborhood meet-ups

Locations | Neighborhoods:

  • Odom Boulevard Library Branch | Sherbondy Hill

  • Coventry Oaks Lodge | Firestone Park, Coventry Crossing, South Akron

  • Ellet Branch Library | Ellet

  • Forest Lodge Community Center | Wallhaven, Fairlawn Heights, Northwest Akron

  • North Hill Branch Library | North Hill, Merriman Hills, Merriman Valley, High Hamptons

  • Reservoir Community Center | Goodyear Heights, Chapel Hill

  • Kenmore Community Center | Kenmore

  • Joy Park Community Center | East Akron

  • REACH Opportunity Center | Summit Lake, Downtown

  • The Well | University Park, Middlebury, Cascade Valley

  • Buchtel Community Learning Center | West Akron, Highland Square, West Hill

 

Focus Groups

A series of focus groups were held focusing on varying subsets of the greater Akron Community. They are as follows:
 

Artist Focus Groups

Five artist focus groups were hosted. Three of the focus groups were artist-led and two were open generally to the artist community and hosted by ArtsNow and Designing Local. Each artist-led focus group facilitator was paid a $150 stipend to facilitate the discussion and leverage their networks for attendance. Each artist was also allotted up to $150 for food and space rental.

Focus Group Facilitators

  • Shane Wynn (Photographer) (3 artists)

  • Amber Cullen and Nikki Epps (Vibe Collective) (36 artists)

  • Kimia Ghaderi (Akron Musical Association, Akron Symphony) (11 artists)

  • ArtsNow (16 artists)

  • Designing Local (19 artists)

  • Accessibility Focus Group (UDS, Center for Applied Drama and Autism) (22 attendees) 

  • Educational Focus Group (University of Akron, Akron Public Schools) (6 attendees)

  • University of Akron students (19 students)

  • University of Akron staff (3 attendees)

  • University of Akron Marketing Class (19 students)

  • Torchbearers (46 attendees)

  • Age-Friendly Focus Group at Stan Hywet (88 attendees)

  • Clergy Focus Group: Love Akron Network (August 7, 2019)

 

Artists at Festivals

Akron artists were hired to interact with the public at community festivals and events throughout the summer. Each artist was paid for their time and collected feedback from the public.

  • Stage Fest at Highland Square: June 1, 2019

  • Akron Zoo, Rhythm of Summer: June 1, 2019

  • North Hill Music Festival: June 8, 2019

  • Stan Hywet Father’s Day Car Show: June 16, 2019

  • AMHA Touch a Truck: June 25, 2019

  • Summit Lake Farmers’ Market: July 9 and July 16, 2019

  • Summit County Historical Society’s Family Event: July 13, 2019

  • Geek Fest and Comicon, Akron Summit County Public Library: July 20, 2019

  • Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival: July 26, 2019

  • Porch Rockr: August 17, 2019