Akron: Here We Come

Saratoga Springs, NY (October 4, 2012) – Akron, Ohio, is the next stop in a series of road trips Yaddo has initiated to extend our reach across the country and to reaffirm our commitment to serving artists working in a range of disciplines.

On October 25, Yaddo President Elaina Richardson will present "Yaddo: The Residency Experience" at The Akron Area Arts Alliance Summit Artspace in Akron. The information session is free and open to anyone interested in knowing more about the residency program, the application process, and the types of artists Yaddo serves.

Painter Gianna Commito, an Assistant Professor at nearby Kent State University, and a former guest artist at Yaddo, will join Ms. Richardson for the presentation. She has had recent exhibitions at MoCA, Cleveland, the Weatherspoon Art Museum in North Carolina, Geoffrey Young Gallery in Massachusetts, and The Drawing Center and Taxter and Spengemann Gallery in New York City.

Gianna Commito

The presentation in Akron is made possible with support from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which awarded Yaddo a $125,000 grant to fund residencies of four to eight weeks for eight artists, working in a variety of mediums, and drawn from eight cities where Knight Foundation invests. In addition to Akron, the locations include Charlotte, North Carolina; Macon, Georgia; San Jose, California; St. Paul, Minnesota; Detroit, Michigan; Miami, Florida; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The artists will be given private living and studio space at Yaddo, and, if needed, financial aid to help cover costs such as lost income, transportation, and childcare - expenses that might otherwise prevent an artist from accepting the offer of a visit to Yaddo.

In Akron and elsewhere across the country, the outreach sessions will include artists from the local region who have spent time at Yaddo and will emphasize our desire to expand our geographical reach and to welcome applicants in emerging art forms, such as electronic media and ambient sound composition. We also are working with other institutions to encourage applications from individuals working in forms and regions currently underrepresented in the Yaddo community. This commitment to outreach includes a pledge to support artists post-residency with opportunities for them to engage with audiences at appropriate and useful points in their careers.

The program in Akron is slated for Thursday, October 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Akron Area Arts Alliance Summit Artspace, 140 East Market Street. No RSVP is required. A reception will follow the program.

About The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities, and foster the arts. Similar to Yaddo's founders, the Foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged.