William Franklin, Thomas Roese

When did you first get involved with the Akron Art Museum?

While living in Cleveland as a young elementary school aged student interested in the visual arts, I clearly remember the special treat when my parents would occasionally take me to the Akron Art Institute on West Market Street. Approaching a solid, square, classically styled building, walking up the stone steps, and anticipating greatness within. Each visit made me feel as if I were in New York City. Certainly, somewhere special, and a bit exotic. Not that New York is superior to Akron, just that the concept was broader in scope to my young, uncultivated mind. New York may be bigger, but the Akron art experience was equally dramatic! The facility, and the art on display, inspired and awed me. I remember walls painted the color of charcoal, which at the time, I thought was the height of sophistication! I don’t remember specific works from these visits. What I do remember was a sense that I was experiencing something important, something that I eventually wanted to participate in.

How has the Museum impacted you?

Bill and I make a point of visiting the Museum for most special exhibitions. For us, Akron is an excursion, a destination, and the Museum is seen as an opportunity to learn about and immerse ourselves into current trends in the art world. We have learned so much from these visits. Typically, the drive home involves a general discussion of our reactions to another great Akron Art Museum exhibition, as we compare notes on the content, technical aspects, connections between the artists exhibited, and our general reactions. Out-of-town family members are always very impressed with the Museum, and with its collection and exhibitions.

Why is art important for individuals, families, and communities?

For individuals, art can be whatever satisfies their need. All art is some form of communication, so whatever that dialogue might be is completed by the viewer. Families can add to that by communicating with each other, by sharing their reaction and sense of connection or alienation from the work. Visitors have an opportunity to be brought together as a community. We liked the idea of the Museum reaching out to the hurting and the disenfranchised, and to the underrepresented community this past year, while offering opportunities for discussion, engagement, and healing. Art is relevant to all people, and has the unique ability to bring people of diverse backgrounds together. As an artist, it is essential for me to celebrate, reflect on, and draw from diversity. Art gives meaning and purpose to our lives, and enriches our common humanity, allowing us to appreciate and search for meaning in its complexity and the story it conveys.

Are particular works special to you?

To answer that would be like determining your favorite child. We tend to gravitate toward contemporary work, of which the Akron Art Museum has many fine examples. However, our strongest connection to the Museum is achieved by visiting the special exhibitions. We make a real effort to experience each one. As a practicing artist, I’ve learned a great deal over the years by viewing work that normally wouldn’t be easily accessible to us. I clearly remember a fabulous George Inness exhibition which helped me develop stronger tools for ways to observe the world, resulting in clearer statements in my own work. We particularly enjoyed Totally Radical: Art and Politics in the 1980s last year, on view while we were still cautiously balancing Covid quarantine restrictions. Big issues of the 1980s, such as the feminist movement, racial justice, the AIDS crisis, environmental concerns, Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, were told through a gathering of period works, issues which, of course, are still very much with us today.

Share a story or memory about the Akron Art Museum.

As the restrictions of the pandemic lock-down started to ease, our first outing was to the Akron Art Museum. We secured a reservation and headed to Akron, anticipating a great time in a safe space. It was an outstanding experience as we were safely directed along a one-way path through the galleries. It was like breathing fresh air, through our face masks, as we relished all the joy, content, spirit, inspiration, and hope that were being offered by everything on exhibition!