The Akron Art Museum will reopen its historic 1899 building on September 23, 2026, after finishing a $12.5 million renovation that adds new gallery space, a dedicated classroom and a digital art center inside the former Akron post office. The building, which has served as the museum's home since 1981, has been closed to the public through September 22 while crews completed the overhaul.
The renovation, which began in July 2025 and was funded through the museum's Create the Future campaign, drew support from foundations, corporations and individual donors, according to Cleveland.com. Major backing came from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which has invested in the museum for many years, and the historic building will be renamed the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Building in recognition of that support. The design and construction team included lead architect Perspectus Architecture, design consultant Process Creative Studios, construction manager Summit Construction and owner's representative Wade Trim, according to the Akron Art Museum.
Public funding also played a significant role. Ohio lawmakers approved $2 million in state capital budget funding specifically for the museum's new Center for Digital Discovery, and Summit County Council separately approved a two-year grant agreement providing $100,000 annually, $200,000 total, to sponsor the museum's new J.M. Smucker Co. Idea Machine exhibition space, according to state and county legislative records. Museum board chair Jon A. Fiume said in a museum news release that the transformation honors Akron's history while rethinking how the historic building can be used.
New Galleries, a Classroom and Digital Art Space
The renovation creates 2,152 square feet of additional gallery space along with a new 957-square-foot dedicated classroom, according to the museum's announcement. Visitor amenities include new restrooms and a family care room, and the project carves out a dedicated space for video, digital and time-based art within the historic building.
The J.M. Smucker Co. Idea Machine will anchor one of the new spaces, featuring an installation created by Chiaozza, the collaborative studio of Adam Frezza and Terri Chiao. The museum's news release describes the Idea Machine as an environment that challenges visitors to participate, create and experiment in a space that evolves through their interaction.
New Exhibitions Fill the Refreshed Galleries
Two new exhibitions will greet visitors when the doors reopen. The Surrealist Impulse, housed in the Tony and Susie Paparella Galleries, features works associated with Dada and Surrealism from artists including Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Paul Delvaux and Victor Brauner.
In the McDowell Family Galleries, Shana Moulton: Meta/Physical Therapy explores wellness culture, anxiety, consumerism and the search for transcendence through eight synchronized video projections. Both exhibitions open alongside the building itself on September 23.
A Weekend of Free Celebrations and Marathon Perks
Reopening day begins with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, and museum members will receive a preview hour from 11 a.m. to noon before the museum opens to the general public, according to the museum. Art Blooms 2026: Color Abounds, presented by the Akron Garden Club, will run throughout the museum starting the same day, featuring floral designs, horticulture displays, botanical creations and photography; museum members get free admission to the floral exhibit, while nonmembers must pay general admission.
A free community celebration follows on September 24, running from noon to 9 p.m. with family activities, food and drinks across the newly transformed galleries, as reported by Cleveland 13 News. Opening weekend then continues from September 25 through September 27, with the museum open from noon to 5 p.m. each day. Akron Marathon participants can get free museum admission Friday through Sunday that weekend simply by presenting their race bib.
A Museum Shaped by Fire, Growth and Reinvention
The museum's roots trace back to February 1, 1922, when it was founded as the Akron Art Institute, operating out of two borrowed basement rooms in the Akron Public Library without owning a single piece of art, according to the Akron Art Museum's own history. A catastrophic 1941 fire destroyed the museum's former mansion home and much of its original artwork, pushing the institution to pivot toward contemporary art exhibitions rather than historical collections. The museum's collection has since grown to more than 7,000 works of modern and contemporary painting, sculpture and photography created since 1850.
The 1899 building itself, once the city's main post office, became the museum's home in 1981, and the campus expanded again in 2007 with the addition of the Knight Building, designed by Viennese firm Coop Himmelb(l)au as the practice's first completed public project in the United States. This year's renovation marks the museum's second major architectural overhaul in less than two decades.
The reopening arrives just days after the Ohio Arts Council awarded a record $23.2 million in statewide funding, including two grants totaling $132,038 for the Akron Art Museum, as Hoodline reported. The museum's revival also lands amid a broader wave of downtown Akron investment, including the two-story Crafty Steere market and bar development near Lock 3 and Summit Artspace's own million-dollar renovation, part of a citywide push to bring more foot traffic downtown.
