When local artists Dara Harper and Diane Johnson started the Akron Black Artist Guild in 2021, one of their goals was to provide more opportunities for Black artists to exhibit their work in the area.

“Sometimes you just have to create your own opportunities,” Harper said. “You can’t wait for people to open a door for you or allow you to be a part of a thing.”

The Akron Black Artist Guild did just that with the creation of “Outlined In Black.” Now in its fifth year, the nonprofit’s annual exhibition showcases the work of Black artists across Northeast Ohio. This year’s exhibit features 46 pieces from 38 artists. The works are from an array of mediums: painting, mixed media, ceramics, textiles. “Outlined In Black” is on display at the downtown gallery Akron Soul Train through Oct. 31.

For Harper, the mission of “Outlined In Black” — and the Akron Black Artist Guild — is twofold. It gives Black artists a chance to share their work, and it invites the public in to discover their work. 

“It’s All Vanity” by artist and Akron Black Artist Guild cofounder Dara Harper on display at Akron Soul Train. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)

“We want to be in a space where we can preserve culture but also highlight and share [it] with the community,” she said. “I think when you understand other people’s culture, then you know how to be empathetic, know how to help. You know how to care.”

Akron Black Artist Guild making ‘positive contribution’ to community

One of the artists featured in the show who has been “doing it for years” is Jeff Willis. A mixed media artist, Willis has two pieces featured in “Outlined In Black.” Both are inspired by the rich history of blues and gospel music in the Black community. They’re made from reclaimed materials such as wood, metal and aluminum.

In “Banjo Man,” a forlorn figure plays a banjo while sitting outside a weathered storefront. (A repurposed fallboard from a Schaeffer Chicago piano serves as the seat.) 

The mixed media piece “Banjo Man” is one of two pieces by artist Jeff Willis that is featured in “Outlined In Black,” the Akron Black Artist Guild’s fifth annual exhibit featuring the work of more than 30 Black artists in Northeast Ohio. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)

In “Praise Hands,” a figure stands in the middle of a roofless structure. Its head is tilted up and its left hand reaches toward the sky. Willis was inspired to create this work after a visit several years ago to Charleston, South Carolina.

“African Americans would build these praise houses as places where they would go and celebrate and sing,” Willis said. “Sometimes they would have community meetings. It would be a time to get together and worship.”

A West Virginia native, Willis moved to Akron, his wife’s hometown, in 1999, after the two had spent many years in Atlanta. 

“When I initially came here, I couldn’t find it,” he said of the city’s art scene. “I was a little discouraged because in Atlanta, I knew people. I knew where the arts were happening and all of that. Here, I didn’t know anything.”

The piece “Her” by artist Braisha Owens Mount, foreground, is on display as part of “Outlined In Black,” Akron Black Artist Guild’s fifth annual exhibit featuring the work of more than 30 Black artists in Northeast Ohio. The exhibit is on view at Akron Soul Train from Oct. 2-31. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)

Now, though, he feels that the community is growing, becoming more cohesive. He attributes some of that growth to the Akron Black Artist Guild.

“It’s like the little engine that could,” he said. “I like what Dara’s been doing with the guild. and I think it’s just an effort to try to get some momentum and get some people together and really make a positive contribution to the area.”

‘Outlined In Black’ highlights vibrant local art scene

For painter Brennan Cooper, the Akron Black Artist Guild helped her find a creative community as she eased back into art after years away. 

This year’s “Outlined In Black” is Cooper’s third time exhibiting her artwork in the annual show. Two of her pieces are featured in the show. In “Red Room,” a striking woman — her skin hues of black, red and blue — is shown from the shoulders up. She is surrounded by vibrant red roses in an expansive red room. 

The piece was inspired by the song “Red Room” by Hiatus Kaiyote. Cooper described her piece as, “The feeling of being in a comfort[able] space but knowing that you need to expand.”

“I’m very inspired by a lot of music,” Cooper said. “If a song makes me get in a daydream sense or I feel like the song really connects to how I’m feeling, it’s like the image is created in my head.”

“Free Fall” by artist Brennan Cooper. The artist has two paintings featured in the Akron Black Artist Guild’s exhibit, “Outlined In Black.” (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)

Cooper began painting in high school. She studied psychology and fine art at Kent State University. After graduating in 2015, she settled into a career in the mental health field. Between a demanding career, a pregnancy in 2020 and a move from Cincinnati to Akron, Cooper ended up taking an “extended break” from art.

As she settled in Akron, she felt disconnected from the city and the art world. She began to practice art again in 2024. Around then, she discovered the Akron Black Artist Guild.

“If anything they brought me closer to understanding what you can do as an artist,” Cooper said of the Akron Black Artist Guild. “I think they’ve done a great job of giving artists a voice, giving them an opportunity to connect with the community.”

Culture & Arts Reporter (she/her)
Brittany is an accomplished journalist who’s passionate about the arts, civic engagement and great storytelling. She has more than a decade of experience covering culture and arts, both in Ohio and nationally. She previously served as the associate editor of Columbus Monthly, where she wrote community-focused stories about Central Ohio’s movers and shakers. A lifelong Ohioan, she grew up in Springfield and graduated from Kent State University.