EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW
Step Inside Maddie McSweeney's Untitled (Jam) pt. 2
On view March 11 - April 11, 2026
CapSOUL Gallery, Emerging Artist Series
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Opening Celebration: Friday, March 13, 2026 from 5:00 - 7:30PM
In Untitled (Jam) pt. 2, Maddie McSweeney transforms spectatorship into participation. Expanding upon an earlier durational performance, this installation invites visitors to step inside a constructed enclosure and consume jam within the space — shifting the relationship between participants and environment from passive to active.
The work centers containment, proximity, and the body as sites of tension and connection. Through a simple but visceral act, McSweeney heightens awareness of taste, gesture, vulnerability, and mutual presence. What appears playful or absurd gradually reveals deeper undercurrents: the pressures of observation, the instability of boundaries, and the emotional charge of shared space.
By reversing the gaze and redistributing agency, Untitled (Jam) pt. 2 examines collective intimacy and the subtle dysregulation that emerges when private experience becomes public exchange. The work asks participants not only to witness, but to cross a threshold — to consider how connection forms, where discomfort begins, and how the self exists within a greater whole.
“I enjoy activating simple forms, and I believe it is key to universal empathy. If I can bring people to a more observant and present state, I can cross their emotional boundaries. Then, a connection may be formed." –Maddie McSweeney
About Artist Maddie McSweeney:
Maddie McSweeney is a multidisciplinary artist practicing in Northeast Ohio. They received dual BA degrees in Studio Art and Media Studies from the University of Akron (2024) and currently reside in Akron, OH, working as current artist-in-residence at Summit Artspace.
Together, Here Celebrates 10 Years of Alumni Artists and Membership
On view March 11 - April 11, 2026
Burton D. Morgan Foundation Gallery​
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Opening Celebration: Friday, March 13, 2026 from 5:00 - 7:30PM
Together, Here gathers alumni artists and past members of Akron Soul Train in a collective reflection on presence, continuity, and creative exchange. Presented as part of the organization’s anniversary season, the exhibition honors the artists who have shaped Akron Soul Train’s first decade while underscoring the evolving practices that continue beyond residency.
Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, installation, interdisciplinary work, and performance, Together, Here emphasizes the breadth of voices within this community. Rather than centering a single theme, the exhibition foregrounds adjacency — distinct practices existing side by side — revealing how shared space fosters experimentation, risk, and sustained connection.
At its core, Together, Here is about remaining: artists choosing to stay engaged with one another and with the community that first brought them together. In marking this anniversary moment, the exhibition becomes both reflection and affirmation — a reminder that creative ecosystems are built not only through individual achievement, but through collective presence.
“Anniversaries are not just about looking back — they’re about recognizing what has grown. Together, Here honors the artists who have shaped Akron Soul Train while affirming our continued commitment to creative risk and connection.”
— Colleen Suich, Executive Director
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Featured Artists:
Abby Cipar
Alex Younger
Amanda Margaretha
Andrea Schepis
Anna Young
April Bleakney
Beau Shaniuk
Bill Barron
Brittney Esther
Buckey
Care Hanson
Caroline Perkison
Christa Ebert (Uno Lady)
Davon Brantley
Diane Britt
Donna Coleman
Elly Dallas
Gregory Hatch
Gwen Waight
Hank Bamberger
Isabella Troutman
Jennifer Vincik
Jennifer Whitten
Jenniffer Omaitz
John Elias
John Sokol
Jonah Jacobs
Jordi Rowe
Joyce Morrow Jones
Julia Betts
Justin Sorensen
Kristen Tetzmann
Laura D’Alessandro
Lizzie Joy Lukens
Maria Uhase
Matthew Dettmer, M.D.
Max Markwald
Melih Meriç
Meryl Engler
Michelle Duke
Natalie Petrosky
Oliver Chapman
PJ Hargraves
Raja Freeman
Renee Clippinger
Renney Renée
Ryan Craycraft
Saloni Parekh
Scott Kraynak
Sharelle Thompson
Stephen Tomasko
Sujatha Srinivasan
Theressa Yondo
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