Release Date: July 31,2025
Summit Artspace Begins Transformative Construction Project to Expand Creative Access
Akron, OHIO (July 31, 2025) — After two years of anticipation and detailed planning, we are thrilled to announce that Summit Artspace's building is getting a facelift! This project, generously funded by owners of the historic building, Summit County, is set to begin this August. It will update a host of areas throughout the building, including refinishing stairwells, gallery spaces, our 3rd floor event space, and our storefront, making it better equipped and more accessible to serve our
30 resident artists, 400 exhibiting artists, and 9,000 annual visitors. These improvements are exciting but also necessary to maintain the nearly 100-year-old building, and will help make our tenancy in it sustainable, leading up to its centennial celebration in 2027 and beyond.
Unfortunately, this upcoming weekend, August 1 and 2, will be our last public hours until the construction is completed. We intend to host a fully outdoor ArtWalk on September 11 and hopefully will re-open in time for Small Business Saturday and Artist Sunday at the end of November. We encourage community members to come and immerse themselves in the Summit Artspace experience this weekend before we close for construction. Please visit our current Summer Exhibitions while they are on view and support our resident artists who need help navigating these next few months of Summit Artspace’s temporary closure to the public.
“Even though we will be closed, we aren’t going anywhere,” remarks Natalie Grieshammer Patrick, Interim Executive Director, “Our team is dedicated to working hard behind the scenes to ensure that local artists continue to be served in impactful and meaningful ways, as many of our artist-serving programs and services will still take place.”
This highly anticipated construction not only symbolizes progress for Summit Artspace as an organization but also demonstrates our commitment to enhancing the quality of our creative spaces for resident artists and exhibiting artists alike. As we embark on this exciting journey, we invite the community to join us in celebrating this significant milestone that will pave the way for new opportunities and growth within our arts community.
About Summit Artspace: Summit Artspace is a nonprofit arts organization connecting artists and artist-serving organizations to the resources they need to thrive professionally, creatively, and financially. It provides artist studios, exhibitions, and programs in Summit County and serves as a vital place for the public to engage with the creative community. Summit Artspace is located at 140 East Market Street in Akron, Ohio. Public hours are Fridays from noon - 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Summit Artspace is supported by The County of Summit, Ohio Arts Council, GAR Foundation, Arts Now/ArtsForward, Akron Community Foundation, Burton D. Morgan Foundation, Synthomer Foundation, Lehner Family Foundation, The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation, and Peg’s Foundation. For more information, visit the Summit Artspace website, call (330) 376-8480, or email info@summitartspace.org.