Current Exhibitions

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.

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.