Current Exhibitions

Reconsidered: Works from the Collection

April 6, 2021 - August 22, 2021 | Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries

Rotating works out of storage is also connected to the goal of informing and engaging patrons. While sharing collections is elemental to museums, as society evolves, so does curatorial practice. In this exhibition, we’re asking for help. We’ll share some of our favorite works from storage, and we’ll ask you to help us to tell better stories about them. We’ll also showcase the stories you share. We can only improve the way we communicate about art with your help.

The 10,000 Things

May 27, 2021 - May 15, 2022 | Bud and Susie Rogers Garden

Artwork usually is hung in galleries—rooms designed for viewing paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures. But what if you happened upon an artwork on your afternoon walk in the city, or while strolling in a garden, outside in the sunshine and fresh air? That experience is at the heart of the museum’s latest outdoor exhibition, The 10,000 Things by Cleveland artist Jordan Wong.

Totally Rad: Bold Color in the 1980s

February 18 – September 19, 2021 | Judith Bear Isroff Gallery

Bright primary and secondary hues, radiating neon and Day-Glo, soft and sweet pastels, sharp black and white contrasts—in the 1980s, wild colors touched the entire spectrum of American culture. This exuberant trend was urged onward through television, music, music videos, video games, graffiti, fashion, and the materialism brought on by an economic boom. Artists burst forth with their own vivid creations across a variety of media, enthusiastically adding to this wave of color.

Totally Radical: Art and Politics in the 1980s

February 18 – September 19, 2021 | Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Gallery

From the AIDS crisis to the intensifying feminist movement, ongoing calls for racial justice, struggles between corporate profit and union labor, growing concerns about human impacts on the natural environment, and the tense climax of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the 1980s proved to be a dense and dramatic period in American history. Many artists responded with a new sense of urgency and created works that are directly and unapologetically political.

Tune In

May 6, 2021 - May 31, 2021 | Outside the Museum on South High Street

Tune In seeks to start a conversation around this question and many others. Designed by Rick Lazes and fabricated by a collaborative group of artists called the Art Factory, the outdoor diorama features six vintage TV screens that play a 12-minute loop, 24 hours a day. The collage of footage includes news, speeches, concerts, sitcoms, and dramas from television’s early years. Mid-century decor featuring wallpaper, curtains, and framed pictures helps to set the scene.

Akron Art Mail

October 15, 2020 - May 29, 2021 | Beatrice Knapp McDowell Grand Lobby

The Akron Art Museum and Akron-Summit County Public Library’s new Akron Art Mail project aims to put art and writing into people’s hands. The project has three main components: commissioned art cards offered free for patrons; a community exhibition of art cards; and an e-book catalog of the project.

Making Your Mark

11/05/2020 | Various

This exhibition features nine artists living and working in Northeast Ohio. These richly hewn artworks are contextualized by the artists' own words, glimpses into their studios, and tools of their craft.