Art Connects:

Mobile Art Studio + Community Interpretation with Akron

About

The mobile art studio appeared at six summer outreach events with an interactive Art Spot kiosk pod that was accessible to all ages and ability levels and served as a programmatic piece for audience and awareness building. The Akron Art Museum drew visitors toward engagement with this colorful, kinetic, and dynamic Art Spot, which included interactive illusions, brain teasers, zoetropes, harmonic pendulums, and other foundational, thoughtful, accessible, “wow” moment art experiments. 

Guests were invited to consider one or more of the nine pieces on loan from Art Bridges that were displayed on the vehicle. Participants were then prompted to leave a recorded response to the works that would later be installed in the museum’s galleries for other visitors to experience. The audio was installed through a series of parabolic speakers that allowed guests to simply stand in front of the work to hear the community member’s voice response.​ Wall labels were formatted with a visual cue indicating which works in the galleries have this audio component. The museum also produced a printed guide with the community responses for guests to use and take home with them. ​

Intended Outcome

The museum hoped to foster two-way relationships with a new audience more representative of Akron and Northeast Ohio. It also hoped to collect authentic responses from the community relating to artwork found in its galleries and present them via a multi-sensory display. 

Actual Outcome

Check back soon, as this project is still in progress!

Advice Post Project

Check back soon, as this project is still in progress!