Today we will all be going on a deep dive into art in Akron and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
After that we will get into a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
If you are after any specific section you can jump straight to it using the table of contents on the left and we are also including an Akron art map with all of the various places we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
Check out more of our posts for cities around the Midwest at this link.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In Akron
If you want to visit the best art galleries and museums in Akron you can go to:
You can find over 5,000 works at the Akron Art Museum which is open opens at 11am Wedneday through Sunday while usually closing at 5pm but staying open until 8pm on Thursday and whose works have a strong focus on contemporary painting, sculpture, and photography.
Akrona Galleries is open from 10am to 5:30pm Tuesday through Friday and 10am to 3pm on Saturday as a full service art gallery that provides appraisal service and curation of both personal and corporate art collections. They even offer art classes near you for children ages 5-15 as well as for adults plus they can do framing.
Anyone who wants to step up their sculpture game can do so by taking one of the pottery classes at Zeber Martell Gallery & Clay Studio which is open from 11am to 5pm every day but Sunday.
The Don Drumm Studios & Gallery have a gallery for over 500 artists and studio space for three resident artists and you can check it all out from 10am to 6pm Monday through Friday and until 5pm on Saturday.
Curated Storefront received a public art network award in 2019.
Summit Artspace is open is open on Friday from noon to 7pm and Saturday from 11am to 5pm and holds major events like the Akron Artwalk every first Saturday of the month. They are also home to competitive events like the Kaleidoscope Juried Art Exhibiton plus they are another place to take art classes in your area.
Materials & Supplies Near You
When you need to buy art supplies and materials you can head to:
Held every July the Akron Arts Expo Weekend is something you won’t want to miss.
In December you will want to go to Thomas Hall for the E. J. Thomas Christmas Arts & Crafts Show.
Art & Ale can be found at the Akron Art Museum.
The Kaleidoscope Juried Art Exhibiton in November and December at Summit Artspace is also a local favorite.
Don’t forget about the monthly first Saturday Akron Artwalk either.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
If you want to add a new piece to your collection or find out how much a piece is worth you can go to Thomas French Fine Art at 463 Holliston Rd which is one of the best dealers and appraisers near you.
The Akrona Galleries and Zeber Martell Gallery & Clay Studio from the main list both also sell art.
Walking Tours
The Akron Artwalk which starts at Summit Artspace on East Market is a great way to see what is going on in the area as you’ll be able to visit local galleries and stop by artist studios.
Sculptures & Statues
You can also find some really cool sculptures and statues in your area like:
Portage Path Indian Statue at 1431 North Portage Path
Polymer Molecule Statue at 170 University Ave
Harvey Firestone Statue at 1200 Firestone Pkwy
The Portage Path Indian Statue Known is often referred to locally as “Big Chief” and you can find it at the Cuyahoga River.
Also known as the Chihuly Sculpture, the Polymer Molecule Statue was created by artist Dale Chihuly and is now a landmark sculpture for The University of Akron.
The Harvey Firestone Statue has been up since 1950.
Akron Art Classes
We are all at different levels and sometimes a lesson or two can give you a tip or trick that takes you to another level. Some of the best Akron art schools and classes can be found at:
Mary Schiller Myers School of Art has been doing their thing for 150 years and is one of the largest academic art facilities in the region.
Akron Artworks offers classes for all ages whether you are a kid, teen, or adult. They have adult night classes, provide open studio events, and specialize in integrating art materials into wellness programs to reduce stress and anxiety and parents may want to know that they have art camps for kids aged 7 -14 years old.
There are art therapy and painting parties available at Artful Expeditions.
You can find more lessons and classes at The Akrona Galleries and Summit Artspace from our first list.
Studios For Rent Near You
Summit Artspace and Akron Artworks both have studios for rent.
Framing
A frame can take a normal looking picture a long way, and some of the best places for art framing in Akron are:
Hazel Tree offers community centered design services for public places, has won awards for their interior design skills, and can also handle your framing needs.
Akrona Galleries, Michaels, and Joann from the previous sections can also handle framing in your area.
By the way, we have written other art guides for nearby cities like:
Well guys, we tried to break down the full art scene near you to the best of our abilities. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers in your area.
Feel free to share your own local art tips and tricks in the comments at the end of the post, or please also let us know if we got anything wrong or if anything we posted has become dated. Have fun going to the galleries, museums, buying supplies, or doing anything that has to do with art in Akron!
This post and all of the posts on our site are edited by Dan Soloman who has been a huge fan of art since he was a little kid. His mother was a good local artist, and she taught him the trade from a very early age. He studied art and its history in both high school and college, has worked at multiple galleries, and recently has begun creating and editing online content for this site and some other online media platforms.
