studio Archives

Finish Strong: Our Favorites

We’ve been so busy making content this year, and we’ve shared so much. So we’re finishing this series strong by sharing our most popular resources.

A cream tinted road enters from the left foreground and is positioned diagonally in the composition. An abstracted vehicle, reduced to two colors and simplified shapes, travels up its surface. On the left side of the road is a string of houses which are wedged in space. The roof and outside of the walls of the buildings are painted with an array of colors including sapphire, crimson, lime green, violet, and burnt orange. A soft fade disseminated across the surface of the buildings like a wash.Two stylized figures walk in either direction on the sidewalk. In the background is a church that transcends the buildings in front of it. A prism with two levels extends from its front with supports fixed to the corners. The roof is violet and the wall color is sandy.

Music is a regular part of the Akron Art Museum’s program calendar, with Downtown at Dusk and the Family Concert in the summer and Midwinter Blues and Other Tunes in February. This year, we’ve had to enjoy music in new digital ways. Explore some of the ways we’re enjoying music now. Many of our artworks connect to music: This year has meant the performances had to go digital. While we missed the chance to be together, it does mean you can enjoy these tunes whenever

10 Local Writers to Explore

This fall, the Museum commissioned ten writers to be inspired by the Museum’s collection for a piece of microfiction. These writings were then used as the source for a series of postcards used in the Akron Art Mail installation. Some of these writers were also featured in On Process, the Museum’s speaker series which highlights artists and writers and their interviews are available to watch on our YouTube channel. Explore these ten writers along with their written works and Akron Art Mail postcards featured on

10 Ways Studio Projects can help expand your horizons

Making art is a chance to express yourself, relax, and expand your horizons. We have many resources to help you explore a new medium, hone your skills, or learn from a master. Studio Hours are made possible with support from PNC, the Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation, the Alan and Janice Woll Family Fund, OMNOVA Solutions Foundation, Peg’s Foundation, Robert O. and Annamae Orr Family Foundation, Kathy Moses Salem Philanthropic Fund of the Akron Community Foundation, Charles E. and Mabel M. Richie Foundation

Virtual Family Day: Mark-Making

Everyone wants to make their mark on life. Learning to express yourself on paper is one way to do just that. Explore many ways to draw, paint, and make your own mark. Along with the many mark-making exercises this month, this PDF offers more drawing exercises. Drawing without a Pencil When you think of drawing, you might assume you need a pencil. There are many types of drawings that don’t need a writing utensil at all. You can rip the paper with your hand. This

Virtual Family Days: Bookmaking Bonanza

Try your hand at making simple books and book-related objects. This month we have bookmaking tutorials plus some options for turning out artful bookmarks. Get Art: Why make your own sketchbook? Before we get to making, we might tackle the big question of the month. Project 1: Make an Accordion Book What do you need? Paper Try this? Fold your paper in even sections. That’s it. This is a simple book to make. Collection Connection: Muybridge was a photographer who explore motion by creating a

Family Day: Dog Days of Summer

Summer is coming to an end. It’s a time to relish freedom, enjoy family, and spend a few more minutes in the outdoors. This month’s projects celebrate the end of the holidays.

Family Day: Art-BQ

Ah, peak summer — barbecues, picnics, outdoor fun. Who says snacks need to be just for eating? Gather your leftovers, your favorites, whatever you got — and let’s have an Art-BQ! We even have a kit of supplies to help you get started.

Relief Printing

Relief prints are easy and flexible. The basic premise is that anything raised from the surface will transfer ink onto the paper. A stamp is essentially a relief print. Linocut prints and woodblock prints are two commonly used forms of relief printmaking. At home, you can create a type of relief print using cardboard and foam stickers. If you don’t have foam stickers, you can use old styrofoam and hot glue. If you don’t have printer’s ink, you can brush acrylic paint onto the block.