What it Really Means to Be an Artist in Akron
Artist Francine Terry working on “An Inherited Legacy of Greatness, Series No. 3”
The new year arrived quickly almost without asking permission. One moment we were closing chapters, and the next we were standing at the threshold of something new, something unfolding. As artists in Akron, we know this feeling well. Creation rarely waits. It calls us forward, asking us to be present, responsive, and brave.
To be an artist in Akron especially a Black artist means more than producing work. It means listening deeply to the heartbeat of our city. It means creating while carrying history, community, responsibility, and hope in the same breath. And at Akron Black Artist Guild (ABAG), it means serving other artists with intention, care, and collective vision.
ABAG was founded on the belief that artists do not thrive in isolation. We thrive when we are seen, supported, challenged, and celebrated together. Serving artists means creating spaces where creativity and well-being meet where conversations are honest, resources are shared, and art is treated not as a luxury, but as essential to a quality life.
As this new year opens, we are encouraged to unfold new experiences together. Not rushed. Not forced. But intentionally like fabric stretched on a frame, like pages opening in a fresh notebook. This season invites us to gird up our communities through engagement: workshops that nourish the mind, performances that stir the spirit, writing that gives language to lived experience, and gatherings that remind us we belong.
Well-being is at the heart of this work. Art is not only something we make it is something we live. It is how we process grief, celebrate joy, imagine justice, and pursue wholeness. Through shared creative practice, ABAG continues to cultivate opportunities for artists to care for themselves and one another while contributing meaningfully to Akron’s cultural life.
This year, we look forward to deeper connection. To new collaborations. To lifting emerging voices and honoring seasoned ones. To creating platforms where artists are not only showcased, but sustained. To continuing the work of building a creative ecosystem where Black artists can grow, experiment, rest, and lead.
But the Guild is not just an organization it is a community shaped by the people who show up.
We want to hear from you.
What has your experience with the Akron Black Artist Guild meant to you?
What are you hoping for, creating toward, or dreaming into this year?
As we step forward together, may we remain open ready to be transformed by the art we make and the community we build. The year is new, the canvas is wide, and the work continues.
by Dara Harper
