Akron – The Akron Art Museum’s Midwinter Blues & Other Tunes concert series returns with a virtual month of music, visual art, and community spotlights. This February, enjoy three weeks of virtual entertainment showcasing local artists and organizations. New to this year’s program, the Museum has split the virtual programming to create a show that goes on multiple days of the week. Beginning the week of February 8, catch a community partner spotlight, a visual artist, and two musical acts all surrounding a weekly theme, every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night at 7:00 pm throughout the end of the month. Tune in to Facebook, YouTube, and IGTV on Instagram each night to experience Midwinter Blues & Other Tunes.
“We’re excited to bring Midwinter Blues & Other Tunes back, but this time on a virtual stage. In collaborating with these wonderful musicians, artists, and organizations from around our region, we hope to help spread their fantastic art throughout our entire community,” Jon Fiume, Interim Executive Director, said. “All of the artists involved are extremely talented, and we look forward to sharing our virtual platform with them.”
With the themes Sizzle, Zap, and Fizz each inspiring a week of Midwinter Blues & Other Tunes programming, participants can prepare for an exciting virtual experience. “Sizzle” is centered around self-care and love as Valentine’s Day approaches. “Zap” represents things that are eccentric, strikingly loud, or visually demanding. “Fizz” finishes out the series with a week of food for thought, along with powerful and socially-inclined themes. The Museum has partnered with Akron Recording Company to pre-record 6 musical performances right in the Haslinger Galleries, giving viewers a taste of the Museum wherever they may be. All of the visual artists featured will show their work and demonstrate their unique processes of painting or collage-making. Community spotlights will feature interviews with organizations that make an impact on local artists and members of the Akron community.
Curator of Community Engagement, Reggie Lynch said, “In addition to the musical and visual artists, the community spotlights are sure to bring the people together as we share information from these different organizations. Each interview is packed with insightful information on what these great organizations are doing in and for the community. I hope participants will watch the interviews and learn more about this impressive and valuable work.” Midwinter Blues & Other Tunes features interviews with Goods (an organic bath, beauty, and design company based in Akron), Crafty Mart (an organization that supports local artists, makers, and artisans in refining and expanding their creative businesses), and Compass Coffee (a program of The Well CDC which operates as a successful social enterprise for all people in Middlebury and Greater Akron).
Midwinter Blues & Other Tunes is made possible with support from ACME Fresh Market, Akron Recording Company, and Historic Arts District. Media sponsorship is provided by 91.3 The Summit. See below for the entire Midwinter Blues & Other Tunes schedule, including all of the visual and musical artists involved. For more information, please visit our website.
Midwinter Blues & Other Tunes Schedule:
Week of February 8: Sizzle
- Tuesday’s Community Spotlight: Goods
- Wednesday’s Visual Artist: Natalie Lanese
- Thursday’s Musical Artists: Ben Gage, Theron Brown Trio
Week of February 15: Zap
- Tuesday’s Community Spotlight: Crafty Mart
- Wednesday’s Visual Artist: Bianca Fields
- Thursday’s Musical Artists: Uno Lady, Oregon Space Trail of Doom
Week of February 22: Fizz
- Tuesday’s Community Spotlight: Compass Coffee
- Wednesday’s Visual Artist: Dakarai Akil
- Thursday’s Musical Artists: Alba Trio, Mourning [A] BLKstar