Akron’s creative community has a new place to make art and perform music with the opening of Museville in Cascade Valley.
The space, which opened in May, is the brainchild of longtime friends and co-founders Stephanie Serna and Michael Ungerleider. The two met years ago while performing music on the streets of Seal Beach, California.
“I always wanted a place where I could just play, and I figured, well, if I own half the building, I’m going to get to play whenever I want to,” Ungerleider said with a small laugh. “That was kind of my motivation, but Stephanie’s taken this so many steps further than I even envisioned.”
Cascade Valley is a unique spot for the arts center. Nestled north of downtown, the neighborhood is best known for its outdoor recreation, with the Towpath Trail running through much of the area.
From open mics to artistic spaces
Before it housed Museville, the building was home to Pure Intentions, a wheatgrass business. During Pure Intentions’ run of the building, its owners also used the space as a performance venue. For 10 years, Serna hosted open mic events there.
When the business closed, local musicians lost a gathering place.
With Museville, Serna wants to once again have a space that supports them as well as other creatives.
“I wanted to bring in the art component — because I do know artists in Akron — and offer workshops [and] arts education for the community,” she said. “Just having a space where people can hang out and create, and also, in one sense, find healing through community and the arts and yoga and some of the healing modalities like that.”
Before moving to Akron 20 years ago, Serna helped run a youth arts organization in Long Beach, California. Once Serna settled in this area, she quickly became involved in Akron’s music scene. (Ungerleider still lives in California but plans to relocate to Akron.)
For years, the two talked about opening a space to serve as a creative hub for local artists. Serna even looked at a few other spaces, but none worked out. So when the West North Street property became available, she jumped at it.
“I think it’s just a place for people to come in and feel safe, and create and meet other people in the community,” Serna said.
A place for Akron artists to be themselves
The 6,800-square-foot building that houses Museville is broken into several themed spaces, each with a different purpose and each more colorful than the next. At the entrance of the building is the music room, a space with plenty of tables and chairs and comfortable seating. A small stage with colorful quilts hanging behind it sits at the front of the room. The space is the setting for Museville’s open mics, musical performances and creative writing workshops hosted by Summit County Songwriters.
“I just thought we’d buy the building and start playing there, but I was wrong,” Ungerleider said. “Stephanie had a much, much grander vision. Every time I go there, I’m in awe of what’s happening with that place.”
Next to the music room is the Sanctuary, where Main Street Yoga hosts classes. Further in is a small classroom-type area dubbed the Art Playshop where local artist Amy Mothersbaugh hosts classes.
In the center of the building is the heart of Museville, a massive open space with colorful murals on the walls — and the floor. Inspired by “The Wizard of Oz,” the floor features a spiral yellow-brick-road motif. The space features plenty of room for play and activities during Museville’s weekly all-ages “Drop In & Play” afternoons.
Painted above the bathroom door is a famous quote from the movie: “You always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.”
“I knew for sure that I wanted to run on the ‘Wizard of Oz’ theme, because it’s like one of the greatest stories that I’ve sort of followed for my life, which is basically that everything that you need is inside of you,” Serna said.
She continued, “That’s what we want people to realize, that they’ve got the power within themselves to create, to have a creative life that they design.”
