Summit Artspace Gallery is organizing a unique outdoor art experience this summer for both artists and the public. Streetscapes: Akron in Plein Air is a first-time event that brings together talented local artists to paint urban landscapes along city streets. Spectators will be encouraged to visit the creative work sites and witness the process. An application form with details is available online at www.summitartspace.org, at Summit Artspace Gallery or by calling 330-376-8480.
Guest curator Brian Shellito has selected four painting sites in downtown Akron – E. Market and High Streets near the Akron Art Museum and Maiden Lane, the High Street Courthouse area, Canal Locks 2 and 3 on Main Street and the corner of Broadway and University Avenues near St. Bernard’s Church & Inventure Place. On July 23 and 24, participants in the competition will set up their easels at these sites to produce paintings.
The artworks will be turned in at Summit Artspace at the end of each day for consideration by guest judges Akron Art Museum Director Mitchell Kahan and Harris Stanton Gallery owner Meg Harris. The judges will select best of show, 2nd, 3rd and honorable mention prize winners plus art to be displayed at Summit Artspace Gallery August 12-September 17. The Akron Beacon Journal and Ohio.com are sponsoring prizes for all winners, including a $525 print and web promotional package for the best in show artist.
Shellito, an illustrator for the Beacon Journal, came up with the urban plein air idea. Plein Air is a French term meaning “open air.”
"I have enjoyed viewing other plein air shows and competitions around Northeast Ohio that were focused on rural landscapes,” Shellito said. “As an artist who likes to paint people and buildings, I felt it would be great fun to bring this approach to an urban setting in Akron."
Along with the plein air exhibition, Summit Artspace will also be featuring urban photography by David Brian Lile August 12-September 17.
Summit Artspace, a growing downtown art center located at 140 E. Market Street, is a project of the Akron Area Arts Alliance in cooperation with Summit County government. It also houses collaborative office space for arts businesses, performance space, artist studios, and a second gallery called The Box. They are the visual expressions of self, experiments in creativity and personal journals.
Regular Summit Artspace Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday noon to 5 pm. Admission and parking are free. It is currently showing the Altered Book Project, showcasing the creativity of 17 top Akron artists. Altered books can be defined as books that have been recycled and repurposed creating works of art by gluing, painting, collaging, rubber stamping, cutting, tearing or embellishing. Summit Artspace Gallery will also be open Saturday, July 2 from 5 to 9 pm as part of the Downtown Akron Artwalk and Sunday, July 3 from 12 to 5 pm for Sunday Sampler.
The Arts Alliance is a non-profit advocacy group that promotes the value of a strong, diverse and vibrant arts and culture community in Greater Akron. Its membership includes 48 organizations plus 70 artists and arts supporters. It is supported by the Akron Community Foundation, Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, Knight Foundation, OMNOVA Foundation and Ohio Arts Council.
