See the solar eclipse again but this time with the perfect lead-in: a drumroll! This recording documents a sound performance in collaboration with the total eclipse on April 8th, 2024, at the Chestnut Ridge Park Amphitheater in Akron, Ohio.

The film Wanderlust Blue transforms the artistic medium of dance through the lens of the camera. Born from the writing of Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” and Elyse Morckel’s original dance piece VOID, Wanderlust Blue ruminates on humanity’s struggle with the notion that one’s existence is not the center of the universe.

Artist-in-Residence Davon Brantley presents Chapter 2: Midsommar in Granada Gardens, a collection of paintings in conversation with purgatory and grief. The tension of vibrant colors and muted grey tones represent the blending of emotions surrounding the loss of a loved one.

Pathways and Passages is a poignant exhibit addressing movement, specifically the human migratory movement. Earl O. James creates boat-like mixed media sculptures amplifying a “crossing” message that explores the turbulent passage of people to an unfamiliar place.

Explore the mysterious and ethereal intersection between the conscious and unconscious mind in Nico Cacho Flores’ immersive exhibition Oneiric Cartographies. Here dreams serve as maps, guiding onlookers through the intricacies of memory, imagination, and the subconscious.

Exploring the translation from virtual to physical, artist Meagan Smith’s “Wild Light” embraces both digital and traditional weaving techniques to present fluid pieces that simultaneously express the movement between natural and artificial realms.

Artist Sarah Paul’s “The School of Fiber Chambers” showcases her ambitious integration of wet-felted wool with locally sourced found objects, secondhand fabrics, and video screens.

The 'Outlined in Black' exhibition, in collaboration with the Akron Black Artist Guild, features diverse artistic expressions from the Black community.

Artist-in-Resident Michael Boyd Roman unveils “Worth a Negus Wait in Gold,” a series that seeks to upend the contextual history of Black portraiture by focusing on images of the highest self. “Negus Wait in Gold” speaks to the unnerving experience of being both hyper-visible and invisible at the same time.

Akron Soul Train Artist-in-Residence Crystal Miller presents “Queens and Shiny Things,” a collection of fantastical paintings and sculptures that embody Afro-futurism. Marrying African traditions with elements of fantasy, Miller’s art is a personal interpretation of Afro-futurism.

Katie Butler presents “Bread and Butter,” a series of still-life paintings commenting on financial disparities in American society. Both boldly provocative and shrouded in disparity, Butler’s paintings seek to narrate the class climate.

Kayla Weinman creates representational objects that somehow have a twist whether they are intentionally smaller, larger, brighter, or have exaggerated features. In “Clowning Around,” Weinman designs pieces inspired by specific parts of a clown’s attire. Certain pieces are photographed on a model, which amplifies the juxtaposition of the large, stiff, visibly uncomfortable, and unfitting attire with the human body wearing it.

Using a variety of water- and oil-based mediums, Peng creates foreign and playful landscape paintings. A melding of her imagination, memory, and past experiences, the destinations conjure wonderment and curiosity alongside a disorienting sense of not knowing exactly where home is. In extension, Peng’s free-standing ceramic installations capture the nature of landscape, with textures and marks that convey the essence of mountains, clouds, and the moon.

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