Akron Community Foundation is where generous families, individuals, companies and nonprofits make charitable dollars go the furthest for the permanent good of our community. They are a 501(c)(3) public charity composed of more than 640 charitable funds begun by people. Those funds, and the gifts that started them, bear the mark of many donors, not just a select few, which differentiates them from a private foundation. They are committed to building a civic endowment, a permanent source of funding to benefit all of Summit County, helping fundholders plan, carry out and celebrate their charitable giving in Greater Akron, the region and across the country, partnering with fundholders and agencies, including nonprofits, funders, government groups and businesses, to gain and share knowledge that improves the community, and encouraging philanthropy among Summit County residents of all means and backgrounds

Barbara Feld grew up in St. Louis, graduating with a degree in English from the University of Missouri. She & her husband Denis, children Rebecca & Lucas, moved to Akron in 1978. During her 40 years in Akron, arts & culture have been her major focus, wishing to give back to the community she loves.  She spent 24 years with Tuesday Musical Association, retiring as its executive director. Today Barbara serves on several boards, including Akron Roundtable, Project GRAD Akron, Blossom Committee & Apollo’s Fire Akron Advisory Board. She was president of the Summit Artspace Board and Akron Roundtable’s Board. She has also served on state boards and been involved with national committees relative to the arts. She is currently on Summa’s Healing Arts Leadership Council and chair of its Music Committee.

Artist Joan Colbert works in mixed media with an emphasis on printmaking, collage and painting. Inspired by literature and influenced by her environs, she often creates works that are thematic, frequently including references to her favorite motifs: blackbirds and bare trees.  In all of her work Joan strives to reach a balance between design and idea and hopes that in each piece there is just enough left unstated to evoke more personal interpretations. A graduate of the University of Akron, Joan currently paints and exhibits and has won numerous awards in both juried shows and art festivals.  Her previous experience includes graphic work for both the City of Akron and the Akron-Summit County Public Library.

 

 

2019 HONOREE Amy Mothersbaugh is an artist, illustrator, curator and teacher based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio with a passion for supporting and developing creative communities. Mothersbaugh is well known for her work and her gallery Studio 2019 in the Falls. She is a co-founder at Akron Soul Train, an art educator at Mobile Art Classes for Everyone and works on projects including murals with local organizations like the Akron Zoo.

 

Judith Gaiser muses, “I am a product of Cleveland, born and raised there. I like to think that I was born with a pencil and a sketchbook in my hand.” Judith has had artwork in shows at Kent State University; The Mather Gallery, Case Western Reserve University; The EdgeGallery in Cleveland, St. Paul’s Gallery, Jack Richard Gallery, group shows at the Coburn Gallery, ColoradoCollege; Canton Museum of Art; Cleveland Museum of Art May Show, Massillon Museum of Art, Summit ArtSpace and a variety of pieces accepted in local and National juried shows, along with a number of pieces in private collections here and abroad.

 

Micah Kraus  is an artist and educator living in Akron, Ohio. As fine arts department chair of Archbishop Hoban High School, he is proud to contribute to the arts culture at the school. He has shown his work in group and solo exhibitions regionally and nationally and is art director of Akron Coffee Roasters.

Zach Friedhof is a Troubadour of Peace from Akron Ohio. His music is an uplifting blend of folk & soul immersed in love. He is a yogi, leads meditation and is co-director of the Yoga Summit of Ohio. He also co-created and is the Executive Director of the Big Love Network, which seeks community uplift and engagement through neighbor led neighborhood initiatives involving arts, skills, and gatherings. Zach performs a variety of shows, from solo to an 11 piece band! Performances with his high energy band Zach & the Bright Lights get the body and soul moving!

 

Jane Startzman has over 50 years of experience in the field of professional dance, including work as a principal dance artist, operations coordinator, Executive Assistant to the Artistic Director of Ohio Ballet, Heinz Poll as well as company/tour manager. Jane is currently director and co-founder of the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, which began as Ohio Ballet’s Summer Festival in 1974, and is also the Director of Events at the Akron Civic Theatre. Jane was one of the first eight dancers that comprised the initial class of the School of Dance, Theatre and Arts Administration at the University of Akron in 1970. She was on the part-time dance faculty of the University of Akron from 1995 through 2008. 

 

Jairo Cuesta is a Colombian actor and director and an instructor in the Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Playhouse MFA Training Program. For NWPL, Mr. Cuesta has directed The Dybbuk and has performed in Mother’s Work; The Recital of the Bird; Epiphany; The Phantoms of King Lear; The Book of Saints and Martyrs; Woyzeck; Electra; HamletMachine; Love in the Time of Lunatics; Deathwatch; Angry Gods and Lost Marbles; Frankenstein; Alice…Down the Rabbit Hole; Action; Gilgamesh; Orlando; The Devil’s Milk Trilogy; and Don Quijote. 

Dane CT Leasure is the Artistic Director of Rubber City Theatre (formerly Rubber City Shakespeare Company) which he founded in 2013. As Artistic Director he primarily directs shows for the company but also acts on occasion. He has directed many of Shakespeare’s plays including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, and Cymbeline as well as musicals such as AIDA and Pippin. When not working at Rubber City, Dane is a full time lecturer at Tri-C in theatre where he teaches a range of classes.

 

Outstanding Arts Volunteer

2019 HONOREE Brenda Schneider’s lifelong commitment to a successful arts community exemplifies her active engagement and volunteerism. Recognizing the importance of art in education, she volunteered for 6 years as the “Picture Lady” at Tallmadge primary school. Brenda did presentations on an artist and their works; designing an interactive activity for the children (cubes, shapes, colors with Picasso, etc.). Her “Picture Lady” experiences served her well as a volunteer Docent at the Akron Art Museum, sharing art with school age children and guiding adults through exhibitions. Brenda recognizes a need for art, which is why her volunteerism and participation in the art community is diverse: volunteering in visual and performance arts, across age groups, among people with a range of abilities.

Yoly Miller is a freelance writer and a citizen journalist. She is a live videographer for The Akronist and The Devil Strip news publications that serve Summit county. She is also an avid content producer, sharing her views, videos, and photographs of the art and music scene with her friends and followers, inspiring them to become better patrons of the arts in their home town. She began volunteering in Akron in 1998 at The House of Peace on Princeton Street and continues to volunteer her time and efforts with various organizations, including the Pechakucha Akron Speaker Series.    

Lizzie Lukens Conrad is a visual artist working in egg tempera, silverpoint, and colored pencil. She is the author of Willow Dances, a book of poetry, and the children’s book Where’s Mommy’s Mommy?. She is on the planning committee for the All Abilities Art Expo and is developing a program to teach art to special needs children.

 

The Akron Art Library is an innovative and unique collaborative project  between the Akron Art Museum and the Akron Summit County Public Library. It merges outreach and education with local, national, and international artists through a collection of artworks bought by the museum and circulated – like a library book! – at the Akron Summit County Library Main Branch. This project is funded in part by various local and state donors and not only supports the artistic economy by paying the artists for their work, but makes work accessible on a unique level to *anyone* with an Akron Summit County Public Library card! The idea that anyone can experience living with art in their homes is truly inspiring. It is a masterful project of collaboration that makes fine art accessible and engages the community in the arts.

The Akron Center for Art, Music and Performance has pulled together a number of performance art groups (like Wandering Aesthetics, Dunamis Theatre and Gum Dip Theatre) to activate a previously vacant space for consistent programming that caters to many disciplines (theatre, poetry, music, dance). Along with regular theatre performances, the collaboration also offers workshops for children and a host of community engagement activities. The EP Cooker open mics offer a vehicle for performers to grow, and events like storytelling and poetry readings tap into a socially conscious audience. The Center is an example of true and effective arts collaboration in the community.

 

The Center for Applied Drama and Autism is located in Akron and has been working with youth and their families since 2014. Its goal is to meet its students where they are now and help them to recognize their own abilities and gifts through empowerment and making connections. The program sees the uniqueness of each student, helping each one deal with social and emotional situations that will occur throughout their lives. CADA provides individual and collaborative applied drama techniques such as theatre games, improvisation, role play, character study, voice and body work, mask work, puppet plays, playwriting and video production. Visual art, dance and music are all key components in theatrical productions and give CADA students an opportunity to expand their artistic gifts and interests.

 

 

Dara Harper teaches art to Kindergarten through 8th Grade learners at Emmanuel Christian Academy. She is a graduate of the University of Akron with a bachelor degree in Art Studio Emphasis and minor in Art History. Completing a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Education Dara Harper continues to be passionate in teaching her students to love and appreciate art. She believes to fully live life in color and the more you draw the more you learn.

Creativity, compassion and enthusiasm for the arts, are abundantly evident when meeting Ashlynn Schindler. Having been a science teacher at Cuyahoga Falls High School since 2014, she serves to foster creativity, enthusiasm and positive change in her students. Her love of science and technology brings a unique perspective to the arts. Utilizing a hands-on, experiential interdisciplinary learning strategy with a community context, Ashlynn finds interesting ways to keep her students engaged all the while having real impact on world problems and producing outcomes that are beneficial to all.

 

 

Victoria Rose is an artist who believes in experimenting and trying new things. I blend feminine & masculine into my steampunk jewelry, while incorporating the strange and whimsical into my three-dimensional sculptures and paintings. Sometimes I use paint and a brush, while other times I work with found objects and give them new life.

River Berry is a budding young artist with a strong relationship with her community. She has been in many local shows and has participated in many volunteer opportunities in Akron. River’s work focuses on dismantling the current perspectives of art and design culture. “My work speaks to art in its purest form — a visual interaction.” She believes that this should be a private conversation between the viewer and the artwork itself.

Rising New Leadership 

2019 HONOREE Marissa McClellan is a star of the local arts scene and she is involved in some of the city’s most beloved, high profile artistic endeavors. She is the Executive Director for Crafty Mart where she develops and implements programming for Akron entrepreneurs and artisan makers. Marissa is also the Co-Director and co-creator of Art Bomb Brigade. Serving as Co- Director, she manages projects, and supports artists and the community with public art initiatives. Marissa is Project Manager for Highland Square Neighborhood Association and is currently working on the Highland Square Film Festival and PorchRokr.

 

As part of Curated Store Front, art displayed in empty storefronts, Courtney Cable has wrangled artists from near and far to create an expansive display of art, brightening a somewhat blighted downtown. Curated Storefront has made downtown Akron a cool place to visit both during the day and at night. It has opened the doors to art and highlighted artists for many individuals who at some point got the idea that art just wasn’t for for them. She is both artist and administrator, understanding that artists need to be treated with respect regardless of their medium and social standing.

As Executive Director of the Peninsula Foundation (a 501c(3) with mission in historic preservation and education throughout the Cuyahoga Valley), Karen Walters has nurtured a unique “roots music” performing arts and education program called “Voices in the Valley”, hosted in the Peninsula Foundation’s historic G.A.R. Hall in heart of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This program has grown quickly to become a nationally-recognized, premier opportunity for acoustic roots and traditional American music genres including folk, bluegrass, blues and jazz in an inmate setting offering acclaimed acoustics by national artists such as Sierra Hall and the Steel Wheels band. In addition to the root music awareness, preservation and exposure Karen’s program provides, workshops for music students of all ages and proficiency levels are provided by Voices in the Valley program.

2019 HONOREE Western Reserve Hospital has a long history of supporting arts and culture. Through donations and sponsorships, the hospital has funded a multitude of organizations. Local artists, school systems and area non-profits have benefitted from their financial contributions. The hospital’s leaders recognize that arts and culture are vital components for a healthy and thriving community. Western Reserve Hospitals involvement through donations, sponsorship, and support includes but is not limited to  Collide: Cuyahoga Falls, Dynamics Community Theater, Art After Five, Crafty Mart, Falls Downtown Fridays, Vibrant Pallete Celebration, CVAC, Angel ART Auction, Andrea Rose Teodosio Memorial Foundation, Cuyahoga Falls Art and Accessibility Forum, Collide Spoken Word, and CFHS All City Art Walk.

 

 

Bounce/Hazel Tree Design Studio: Last May, Bounce CEO Doug Weintraub outlined a vision and made a commitment that the new, 27,000 square foot first floor renovation of the Bounce building would be of, for and about Akron. It would honor Akron’s past, present and future, taking the 150-year-old former BF Goodrich tire plant and transforming it into a modern, exciting and functional facility for not just entrepreneurs, but the Akron community.A key part of this vision was that the design and feel had to be comfortable, but professional; unique, but functional and, most importantly, it had to incorporate local talent – from artists and designers to furniture makers. Bounce supports all entrepreneurs, including creatives.  Bounce teamed up with Karen Starr of Hazel Tree Design Studio, who is known throughout Akron as a fierce advocate for local artists and is a patron, collaborator and talented designer and artist. It was imperative to Bounce and to the team at Hazel Tree that the new coworking, event space and café and coffee shop at Bounce use locally sourced materials and talent as much as possible – and that everyone be paid in full at fair, market value for their work. From five original murals to custom tables and lighting to original poetry, Bounce is like nothing else in Akron, and possibly northeast Ohio. At Bounce’s opening on May 22, the first floor will feature the original works of 78 northeast Ohio artists, and more than 160 pieces of original artwork, furniture and furnishings. As far we know, this is the biggest effort of this kind in our area’s recent history. And the result is breathtaking – in scope and design.

When Dr. Saroj Sutaria retired from the Kent State University College of Education faculty in 1992, she began to seek out new ways to become involved with the community at Kent State and, more broadly, in Northeast Ohio. It was then that she learned of the opportunities to become involved with the College of the Arts and, particularly, the School of Music. A long-time lover of Western classical music, she was thrilled to find a plethora of high-quality recitals and concerts in her own back yard. She’s been attending as many as she can ever since, including countless ensemble concerts and faculty, student and guest artist recitals. In 2009, she established the Dr. Saroj Sutaria Scholarship in Music, which has since supported the studies of two pianists.

See the award descriptions below.