SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO—County Executive Ilene Shapiro and Council declared October National Arts and Humanities Month in Summit County. Arts and Humanities Month celebrates our local artists, musicians, entertainers, historians, writers, poets, and more, and shows our appreciation for their contributions for our economy, culture, and community. According to the Urban Institute, there are an estimated 31,894 registered non-profit arts organizations in the United States representing a whopping $40.2 billion in revenue and $132.9 billion in assets, providing spaces, services, jobs, investment, growth, and beauty across the country.
Summit County is fortunate to have strong organizations that both support and create art. Local arts and humanities organizations include ArtsNow, Summit ArtSpace, the Akron Art Museum, Akron Civic Theatre, Akron Glass Works, the Summit County Historical Society, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, and hundreds more. Collectively, the creative economy generates $1.4 billion and supports 17,000 jobs in our region.
Since the height of the pandemic these organizations have worked to regroup and relaunch their forward-facing work, especially in public spaces. Summit County is proud to have aided in this recovery, delivering $1.5 million in grants to arts non-profits using CARES Act funding. Now, as installations and events become more accessible to the public, our arts and culture can flourish once more.
“I cannot stress enough how fortunate we are to have a thriving arts and culture scene in our community,” said Executive Shapiro, “And I am honored that our commitment to arts and culture has enabled us to support these vital organizations through some tough times. We swiftly provided financial aid to 57 local non-profits, and our efforts paid off. We continue to have incredible access to arts, music, entertainment, literature, and history mere minutes from our homes.”
This year ArtsNow and the County Executive’s Office are spotlighting local artists and their work at the 2022 State of the County on Wednesday, October 19. Four of these pieces are included below as a preview of the incredible talent that will be highlighted this year. For more information on these artists or on ArtsNow see artsnow.org.
