Artist groups join forces for Akron Art Museum event; Rick Rogers wins Cleveland Arts Prize
The Cuyahoga Valley Art Center will host the inaugural CreativeCONNECT event from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, featuring seven local artist organizations at the Akron Art Museum at 1 S. High St.
The free event, which will give the community the opportunity to enjoy gallery talks, gallery sketching, plein air painting in the gardens and maker opportunities, is the first time the seven organizations have come together to celebrate Summit County's visual artists communities.
Here's a list of the organizations and their activities for Thursday night:
Akron Black Artist Guild: An interactive literary activity fusing words and art.
Akron Society of Artists: Live painting and drawing sessions with a model in the grand lobby, plein air painting on site.
Artists of Rubber City: A pop-up exhibition in the grand lobby showcasing works by local artists.
Cuyahoga Valley Art Center: Gallery talks and limited sketchbooks for community members to do their own gallery sketching.
Hudson Society of Artists: On-site plein air painting.
Ohio Collage Society: Live collage-making demonstrations and interactive activities.
Women's Art League: Artist lecture and demonstration in the museum auditorium.
Guests also can enjoy live music, a cash bar and a food truck. The event is free, but registration is requested at akronartmuseum.org.
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Rick Rogers wins award for service to arts
In other arts news, Rick Rogers, who founded Curated Storefront in Akron in 2017 and is a longtime supporter of the Akron Art Museum, has won the Cleveland Art Prize's Martha Joseph Prize for Distinguished Service to the Arts. He is one of eight 2023 Cleveland Arts Prize winners from various artistic disciplines selected in six categories who have demonstrated dedication, creative brilliance and a profound impact on the arts community and society as a whole.
The award honors Rogers as a "driving cultural force in Akron." Rogers, executive director of Curated Storefront, created the nonprofit after winning a Knight Arts Challenge Grant for his idea to transform downtown Akron into a more vibrant community by activating vacant storefronts with art displays.
Among his artistic achievements are his collections of contemporary ceramics from Asia and the United States and 20th century American and European design.
Amid their many Akron contributions over the years, Rogers and his wife, Alita, made the lead gift for the Akron Art Museum's Bud and Susie Rogers Garden. It was dedicated in 2016 and named after his parents, who were longtime museum supporters and community volunteers.
The Cleveland Arts Prize awards will be presented Oct. 26 at the Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland. Tickets will go on sale Aug. 25. See clevelandartsprize.org.
Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 7 artist groups join forces for CreativeCONNECT at Akron Art Museum
