Sept. 11 Akron Public Art Commission meeting

Covered by Documenters Christina Brunson (see her notes here) and Jenna Eastman (see her notes here)

Twenty traffic signal boxes around Akron will soon get a splash of color from local artists as part of public art project.  

At its Sept. 11 meeting, the Akron Public Art Commission reviewed designs submitted by Akron residents and selected 20 finalists. Designs include a rendition of the Akron Symphony Orchestra, images with neighborhood-specific references, herons, area landmarks and more. 

The budget for this project is $35,000, with $5,000 set aside to pay $250 stipends to the selected artists. The commission is still working through choosing a vinyl wrap vendor and negotiating prices, but each box will receive a vinyl wrap featuring the selected designs. 

Commissioner members and the City of Akron announced the project in March with a call for entries from residents.

Two of the designs will be placed in each of Akron’s 10 wards.

This traffic signal box is one of 20 that will soon be adorned with local artwork. The Akron Public Art Commission selected 20 locations across Akron to get a visual upgrade (Photo via Google Street View)

Winners and locations list 

The box locations, selected artists and titles of the works by ward as shared in the meeting are:

  • Ward 1
    • Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Main Street
      • Winner: James Buckey, Blimp City 2
    • West Market Street and South Portage Path
      • Winner: Sylvia Sykes, Joseph
  • Ward 2 
    • East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue and Riverside Drive
      • Winner: Dara Harper, What I Remember
    • Chapel Hill: Location to be determined
      • Winner: Sara Hughes, Chapel Hill
  • Ward 3
    • West Exchange Street and South Maple Street
      • Winner: Donald Peoples, Krispy Kreme
    • East Exchange Street and South High Street
      • Winner: Meryl Engler, Taking Off
  • Ward 4
    • Copley Road and South Hawkins Avenue
      • Winner: Stephanie Stewart, Chasing Peace
    • West Market Street and South Hawkins Avenue
      • Winner: Jayvante Ross, Visual Music
  • Ward 5
    • Martin Avenue and South Arlington Street
      • Winner: Elizabeth Budacov, Speak from the Heart
    • East Tallmadge Avenue and North Howard Street
      • Winner: Nirali Schrader, Peace
  • Ward 6
    • East Waterloo Road and George Washington Boulevard
      • Winner: April Couch, The Rubber City
    • Canton Road and Albrecht Avenue
      • Winner: David Wagner, Together
  • Ward 7
    • East Waterloo Road and South Firestone Boulevard
      • Winner: April Couch, King Lion
    • East Wilbeth Road and Brown Street
      • Dara Harper, Good News
  • Ward 8
    • Merriman Road and North Portage Path
      • Winner: Sara Hughes, Chief Rotaynah
    • Garman Road and North Hawkins Avenue
      • Winner: Charisse Harris, Humans being
  • Ward 9
    • Kenmore Boulevard and 16th Street Southwest
      • Winner: Louise Bane, Lay Your Head On My Shoulder
    • Manchester Road and West Waterloo Road
      • Winner: Dara Harper, Contemplation
  • Ward 10
    • Eastwood Avenue and Brittain Road and Eastland Avenue
      • Winner: James Buckey, Eclipse from the Heights
    • Case Avenue and East Market Street
      • Winner: James Buckey, Market Crossing

Other meeting updates

Also at the meeting, the commission learned that Katie Beck is no longer a member. Commissioners voted to appoint Jessica Travis as treasurer.

Watch a recording of the meeting here.

The next Public Art Commission meeting is Oct. 9 and open to the public. Learn more here.

Find more upcoming public meetings here.

Also, if you’re not sure who your council member is or what ward you live in, find out here.

Akron Documenters trains and pays residents to document local government meetings with notes and live-tweet threads. We then make those meeting summaries available as a new public record.