Leadership & Staff

The Akron Cultural Plan was envisioned by the residents of Akron. The process of creation was led by Akron Cultural Plan Steering Committee, facilitated by ArtsNow (Summit County’s backbone organization for arts, culture, and environment) and Amp Strategy, and executed by third-party national experts at Designing Local.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

  • Dr. Leslie Barnes (YEPAW, Arlington Church of God)

  • Theresa Boware (Akron Summit County Public Library, Odom Branch Director)

  • Patrick Bravo (Summit County Landbank, Executive Director)

  • Veronica Cook-Euell (Kent State University, Supplier Diversity Program Manager)

  • Miss Shirley Finney (Summit Lake, Resident)

  • Puspa Gajmer (Himalayan Arts Language & Cultural Academy (HALCA), Executive/Artistic Director)

  • John Garofalo (Akron Community Foundation)

  • Cristina González Alcalá (Summit Education Initiative)

  • Suzie Graham (Downtown Akron Partnership, President)

  • James Hardy (City of Akron, Deputy Mayor for Integrated Development)

  • Justin Hilton (Kent State University, Senior Associate VP for University Relations)

  • Greta Johnson (County of Summit, Assistant Chief of Staff/PIO)

  • Sean Joyce (Stan Hywet, President & Executive Director)

  • Beth Knorr (Summit Food Coalition, Executive Director)

  • Sandra Kurt (County of Summit, Clerk of Courts)

  • Rob Lehr (GAR Foundation, Program Officer)

  • Dave Lieberth (The Lieberth Consulting Group)

  • Mark Masuoka (Akron Art Museum, former John S. Knight Director & CEO)

  • Carla Moore (Retired Judge, Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals)

  • Dominic Moore-Dunson (Inlet Dance, Dancer, and Choreographer)

  • Eric Nelson (Students With A Goal)

  • Doug Piekarz (Akron Zoo, President and CEO, Center for Applied Drama and Autism board member)

  • Rick Rogers (Curated Storefronts)

  • Brittany Schmoekel (City of Akron, Manager, Recreation Bureau)

  • Jason Segedy (City of Akron, Director of Planning and Urban Development)

  • Priya Sircar (Knight Foundation, Arts Director)

  • Jim Slowiak (New World Performance Lab/The University of Akron Theatre and Arts Administration)

  • Karen Starr (Hazel Tree Design)

  • Bronlynn Thurman (GAR Foundation and Artist)

  • Arnold Tunstall (The University of Akron)

  • Pastor Deniela Williams (New Millennium Baptist Church, Pastor)

STAFF:

  • Nicole Mullet (ArtsNow, Executive Director)

  • Grace Myers (ArtsNow, Corporate and Community Liaison)

  • Morgan Lasher (Amp Strategy, Partner)

Three-Step Process

Thanks to the guidance of the 31 member Steering Committee, the cultural planning process consists of three steps:

Phase One: Discover

Understand the rich history and landscape of Akron’s arts and cultural assets while crafting an inclusive and equitable cultural planning process

Prior to the launch of the community planning process, over 150 stakeholders, representing hundreds of cultural organizations, artists, and residents throughout the city, were engaged to ensure the cultural planning process was equitable, engaged best practices, and ensured all voices were represented. The significant and in-depth input from stakeholders formed the basis of the overall community engagement strategy. 

See the full list of stakeholders.

Phase Two: Listen

Explore attitudes, perceptions, and future visions about Akron’s culture through inclusive and authentic engagement activities

Broad Listening Tour 
Inclusive community engagement drove the cultural planning process in all stages. The broad listening tour spanned 639 total hours of community listening, including 210 hours in one-on-one listening sessions which were made available to every Akron resident, designed to inspire authentic and real-time community feedback.

Focus Groups
Community members engaged in 16 focus groups, including five artist-led focus groups that included visual and performance artists, educational partners, young leaders, and emerging creators, local leaders of the faith community, and the accessibility community. 

  • Facilitators Included: Shane Wynn (Shane Wynn Photography), Amber Cullen and Nikki Epps (VIBE Collective), Kimia Ghaderi (Development Manager, Akron Symphony Orchestra), ArtsNow, Designing Local

  • Groups Included: Accessibility Focus Group (UDS, Center for Applied Drama and Autism), Educational Focus Group, University of Akron students, University of Akron staff, Young Professional Organizations, Age-Friendly Focus Group at Stan Hywet, Faith Community Focus Group, Akron Public Schools, Economic Development Task Force, Kent State University faculty and students

Neighborhood Meetups 
To encourage open discussion, the third-party planning team also hosted 11 neighborhood meetups throughout the city across Akron’s neighborhoods. The design of the meetups inspired Akron residents to dream about the future of arts and culture. 

  • Locations in Akron’s 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

Festival Engagement 
Artists were hired to facilitate table discussions at ten festivals throughout the summer. Their presence allowed residents and visitors to provide insight into their perceptions of the cultural scene and the possible direction for future growth.

  • Festivals Included:

    • 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

    • Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival: August 23-25, 2019

    • Akron Pride Festival: August 24, 2019

These opportunities for engagement and input were shared publicly in traditional media channels (resulting in a reach of 5,034,522 in local print publications), through grassroots methods (like flyer distribution in neighbor gathering spots), and on social media (resulting in 753,045 organic social media impressions).

Survey Engagement
Other engagement opportunities included participating in a city-wide survey. The 28-question survey was available throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2019 in an online format on this website, and paper copies were available at all 19 Akron-Summit County Public Library locations. Community members and groups could complete the survey individually or hold their own focus group and return one paper copy completed by the group. A total of 483 surveys were completed. 

Digital Engagement 
In addition to the online survey, this website offered a wide array of digital ways to engage including a form to leave feedback or request a one-on-one interview and an interactive cultural ecosystem map that encouraged users to share arts and culture experiences, existing public art in Akron, special stories in Akron, heroes from Akron (people of note and unsung heroes), historic landmarks in Akron, outdoor experiences, and seasonal events.

But the community engagement didn’t stop there.

Phase THREE: REVIEW

Present the shared visions and public priorities back to the Akron community for additional input and review for five rounds of public review

Instead of distilling community ideas to fit traditional national examples of cultural planning, the public’s priorities and ideas were categorized into key, Akron-centric themes.

While national examples of success are referenced throughout (and will provide significant takeaways and learning opportunities), the priorities and strategies are intentionally Akron—for Akron and by Akron.

““In Akron, we don’t just use best practices. We make them.””
— Dr. David James, Superintendent Akron Public Schools

After synthesizing the priorities and ideas from the public, another five rounds of community review were organized with questions for the public like:

  • What’s missing?

  • Was your voice accurately captured here?

  • Do you feel heard and understood within these priorities?

  • How can we make these ideas more “Akron?”

  • Do these priorities help move us forward, together, as a community?

  • How could you plug into making one or more priorities happen?

  • Who else should we talk to?

Seven priorities evolved into six priorities, and eventually into the ten priorities captured in this cultural planning document today.

Phase FOUR: ACTION

Craft an implementation strategy with residents, organizations, and community partners to move the plan into tangible action

Together, we’re in Phase Four, Akron. 

Throughout the following priorities, you’ll see each labeled with the potential investment required ($ to $$$$) and next steps including, “Implement,” “Explore,” “Expand,” and “Promote.”

Plus, read more about the strategy for implementation, including how individual citizens and organizations across our region can support this implementation of Akron’s priorities.