Then & Now: Akron Art Museum Celebrates 100 years
2003
The Akron Art Museum was known as the Akron Art Institute when it launched in borrowed spaces in 1922. It changed its name in 1980, and it moved into its fourth and final home in the 1899 Post Office building. In 2003, plans for an addition were underway and Akron Life spotlighted an architect collaborating with the Viennese Coop Himmelb(l)au firm, Tom Wiscombe, who was named young architect of the year. The addition opened in 2007 and more than tripled the museum's size by creating a sleek, modern glass and steel structure, the John S. and James L. Knight Building, that joins the historic building to form “a museum of the future.”
Now
As the museum celebrates its centennial over the next two years, it focuses on creating welcoming spaces for the entire community. The lobby has been redesigned, but most notably the permanent collection has been revamped in six themed galleries with more than 100 modern and contemporary pieces by more than 70 artists. The art in these galleries offers more diversity and addresses issues like politics, climate change, race and gender, including the new “Images of Blackness” gallery that features artist Nick Cave’s 2018 mixed-media piece “Soundsuit,” which conceals race and gender to question notions of identity. Head to the museum to get a look at global art from the past 170-plus years as well as fresh, challenging art.