This is a small art museum in a beautiful contemporary building that mostly features local artists to NE Ohio. There are a few recognizable names among the collection such as Mark Rothko and Keith Haring. I visited the museum in March of 2026 and it was my first visit to the museum. My bf and I were done in about 75 minutes. Adult tickets are $12 with some discounts offered to seniors, children, the military, and locals. We saw some impressive pieces, including a gorgeous installation that featured taxidermied peacocks that was definitely the showstopper among every visitor that day. We were bummed that a large section was closed off in preparation for an upcoming exhibit. It meant a lot of non special exhibit art was not viewable to us. A heads up and/or a discount would have been nice. Meanwhile, a viewable exhibit with a gorgeous Tiffany glass window installation was almost missed entirely by us because the doors to get to it were covered up by curtains, giving off the impression that it was closed. Fortunately, we walked through the curtains out of curiosity and saw the glass piece but many others in the museum walked right by it. A sign letting people know that the space was open would be a good idea! The art museum store was closed by the time we were done but from the outside, it looked like a pretty good, if pretty typical, art museum gift shop. It is worth checking out if you are in the Akron downtown area. read more

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Fabulous art, some great classics here and some local artists and quite a few I had never heard of. One interesting series in the current photographic exhibit is by Josh Azzarella who "works with historical photographs by removing or abstracting their central imagery." Unique to see the Kent State Shooting without Jeffrey Miller. Lovely to see a Calder and a Magritte here as well. Don't miss the facade of the building which itself is an art piece. I understand that it uses the same steel and glass as was installed in the Louvre. [Review 1351 of 2024 - 270 in Ohio - 22374 overall] read more

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Akron Art Museum is relatively small but has spacious galleries featuring a bold mix of art. The current special exhibit is GLOW and it features big, bright colorful pieces in a variety of styles. The other galleries are predominantly modern in style. On this most recent visit I noticed that new pieces have been rotated in from the collection. If you haven't visited recently or have never been, I highly recommend. Admission is free on Thursdays. The building itself is stunning. There is also a nice gift shop and some hands-on activities in a special area for children. read more

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A gem of a museum! Not the largest collection, but the architecture is stunning and their traveling Keith Haring exhibit with some of the artist's earlier works was phenomenal. read more

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Looking for things to do on my days off during the pandemic I figured I would check out the Akron Art Museum. I went online and reserved my free timed ticket (same day). Located in the center of downtown Akron there is cheap parking in several lots nearby. Housed in an older building with a newer larger addition, the museum is eye catching from the outside. You are greeted at the front desk and they have a list of the tickets reserved. Good job of setting up the museum to handle the pandemic, since they have a path to follow through the museum and masks are required. The path starts to the left in the original building with exhibits of the more classic pieces which features mostly artists with some connection to North East Ohio. To my untrained eyes, nothing of much significance here. After returning to the lobby you proceed up the stairs to the contemporary galleries. Here the work is more varied with pieces that were interesting and some less so. The galleries are well spaced out and the art well presented. I do think the art itself was fairly mainstream and could have been more challenging. Although Akron Art Museum has an interesting building, you lose the sense of the building other then in the lobby area. The art is not cutting edge and the displayed collection is rather limited. Not worth a major trip as I ended up getting through the museum in about an hour. Also I noticed that a number of the art captions seemed to have some mistakes as they would list an artist as American born and then list a city in another country. read more

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What I think is a often overlooked highlight of northeast Ohio. Great for the serious art lover and kids. If you've never been go check it out. The only reason it got 4 not 5 stars is because I'd like to see more art on display. read more

Wowwwwww! What an amazing little museum! I came here on a total whim and was blown away by the incredible collection of contemporary/modern art ranging from Nick Cave, Mickalene Thomas, Ronald Jackson, Andy Warhol and Vanessa German. The staff was super friendly and I was blown away by the curation of the space. Fantastic museum and I, 100%, years I'll be back and bring friends! read more

Visted the Akron Art Museum with my wife recently. We weren't sure what to expect since this was our first visit. We visited on Veteran's Day and admission was free. We began on the second floor and made our way through that gallery. There was a lot of local art on display, which was pretty cool to see. I liked that each description indicated not only the artists full name, but their birthplace and birthyear and deathplace and deathyear. The cool thing about art is that each piece is unique. You won't see it anywhere else. We finished our tour on the first floor and then exited. I'll be back, but with my kids. read more

Love it! We were just passing through, but I scheduled in a couple hours for the museum, and we were so happy we stopped. It was literally the only place we visited in Akron. The building itself is a work of art. Truly beautiful architecture. The collection was a joy. The staff were so friendly. It might not be the largest art museum, but all of the pieces come together to make it such a pleasant place to spend some time. Even if you are just passing by Akron, the Art Museum should not be missed. read more

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Such a great Akron gem with PLENTY of wonderful art to take it! If you go on Thursday's, it's free entry :) read more

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I frequent this place more than the bars. (That's sayin something) always clean and you can drink here read more

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If there's one thing in this world that I'm passionate about, it's all forms of art. The Akron Art Museum is a great way to experience some art and culture if you don't have a ton of time to spend walking around at places like the Cleveland Art Museum. The actual gallery isn't that big; I made it through the museum in about 1.5 hours. This doesn't deter from the beauty of the actual pieces of art though! The majority of the works are contemporary, and almost all pieces are from artists around Akron. There's actually a fun little area where you can draw on some of the artwork (with washable marker of course). This seemed to draw a crowd when I visited. The museum is free on Thursdays, but normally you have to pay for admission. Akron students also receive free admission. Overall, if you're in the mood for a quick art pick-me -up, this is the place to go! read more

Akron Art Museum - This was my favorite piece! - Art Museums Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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It was small, but I have to rate it on quality and not quantity. When quantity is ignored from the rating I arrive at a 5 star rating. I'm not sure what the price is, but if you have a problem paying for a small museum go on Thursday when the place is free! It's a win win. (I came to the museum via The Loop Metro Bus that picked me up at the CVSR stop. The museum is also just a quick .4mi walk away from the CVSR stop.) The museum has 2 floors - some permanent and some changing galleries. Overall, I found the tone of the museum to be modern. There are portraits and other non-modern art, but the majority of exhibits, at the current time, especially on level 2, are modern sculptures and arrangements of things. In most of the museum you can take pictures. There are brochures throughout the space to tell you what are you looking at in more detail. The standard signs on the walls do a pretty good job as well telling you more than just the name and artist. The sculpture garden was mostly just grass however - only 2 sculptures were there. This was unfortunate, but wasn't a main point of my visit to the museum so didn't detract from the experience. There is a cafe, but they don't have substantial food. There are places across the street you can eat at however and get a good cheap lunch - I recommend Urban Eats (see my review of that). read more

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I am SO glad I came here. I was trying to go to Cleveland today to go to that art museum but the roads starting getting icy about 10 miles out so I turned around. I saw the sign for the museum and thought I'm going to regret even looking this up on Yelp. After reading the reviews I decided to check it out. They are a contemporary museum, though they have one wing with pieces ranging from 1850-1950. I'd say I liked half of the pieces in there. There were a lot of regional artists I'd never heard of, but they were quality paintings with interesting ranges of classical to Impressionism. They also have a hands on installation right now that is like a big red puffy fabric maze. It has a light show in it also, and if bright rapidly flashing lights switching to complete darkness bother you, I'd suggest skipping going inside it. Also I suspect that anyone who's spent time with hallucinogens in the past would have a problem with it. I, however, thought it was great. In the contemporary wing they are all kinds of neat pieces. A lot of abstract, and the shoe room gave me the creeps, but overall really great pieces. There's an exceptional huge purple piece that is tons of lines in tonal shades of purple. Around the corner there's an installation of thousands of pieces of string strung from two walls and it's just memorizing. That and the installation called Turtle were my two favorite pieces. Turtle is almost overwhelming and it's a little scary to walk through because you may bump into something. But it's so neat to see in person. The Our Land exhibit was beautiful. It was smaller than I would have preferred but they have one Ansel Adams photo which was neat to see in person. Lastly, the cafe is awesome. I ordered hot tea and the Mediterranean salad. I fully expected the salad to be a pre-made comes in plastic salad and I was wondering why it was taking them 5 minutes to bring it to me. Then it came out in a ceramic bowl, and they had clearly just made it. It was awesome, and totally worth $6.50. The tea was great too! read more

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Business travel often leaves little time to actually sight-see, so I make it my personal goal to, if nothing else, try to check out the local art offerings. I wasn't sure about making the trek up from Canton (a lot of snow in the days around my visit), but was very interested to experience the architecture in person (designed by the Vienna-based architecture group Coop Himmelb(l)au) and see what good work the museum has done. I am glad that I made the trip: the museum's website photos don't do the building justice. Very interesting spaces, somewhat adaptable for public use. There was a not-too-snobby wine tasting underway when I entered the museum that evening, for example. One of the things that made this hasty visit worthwhile was the help at the front desk (who greeted me warmly and made excellent suggestions for approaching the galleries) as well as a pleasant and informed conversation with the person minding the museum shop. The only thing that diminished my visit was being stalked by one of the docents. I must have had my best art thief/vandal look going that night. A sample of artists represented during my visit (in no particular order): Murakami Warhol Gauthier Close Nagatani WIley http://www.akronartmuseum.org/ http://www.coop-himmelblau.at/ read more

First of all, I love the building! Very cool architecture - I can see why people choose this location for weddings. I can't say that I have a strong appreciation for the type of art that was on display here, but there were definitely some pieces that caught my attention (and others that made me say to myself, "I could've done that!). After walking through all of the artwork, we found a photo booth with goofy props and selfie sticks. My date and I made good use of this feature. All in all, the atmosphere and presentation is great. If you live in Akron and you're into art, this is certainly an attraction you need to visit. read more

Akron Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Akron Art Museum was definitely worth the visit. It's free on Thursdays! It's also kid-friendly. It's a small museum, but it has great pieces to see. read more

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My favorite way to spend a lazy (free) Thursday afternoon :) There's always something new to explore! read more

Akron Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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(I considered four stars, but in part I come here, today, to help balance out that one-star, one-line, one I.Q. review from 2008. Ahem.) You might think you're hearing a joke, when the conversation starts with, "I went to the Akron Art Museum the other day..." This perfectly situated, stunning building holds several amazing things. Art, naturally, is the main draw. Our most recent visit was for the Escher exhibition, "Impossible Realities," 130 works on loan from a collection in Athens, Greece. (Through May 29th.) But the works from the permanent collection, as well as a few on loan from other museums, are well worth the trip and stand alone on their merits. Atrabiliairios (Defiant), by Colombian sculptor Doris Salcedo, moves me nearly to tears, every time. The second "work of art" is the building itself, or rather both buildings, as the new wing dwarfs yet remains connected to the original, three-story brick museum. It won't be everyone's cup of meat, but I sure enjoy walking around that huge atrium, and checking out the angles, and the way the two buildings connect. Bold move for this often-gritty city. The final reason to recommend the Akron Art is the quality of the exhibits, and the obvious care taken by the curators, the staff and the management to provide a world-class experience. (It seems a bit under-appreciated, which conversely means the place looks a bit fresher and less-trodden than the Cleve, or the Met, or the Louvre, which often looks more like a bus station than a repository of art.) Moderately priced admission, and the garage directly opposite was free on Sunday. Small gift shop, small cafe, but lots and lots of open space, and the galleries themselves are spacious while still remaining inviting. I wish I were an art student and had an excuse to spend entire afternoons, here. I'll return in two weeks for "All-Star Jazz: The Photographs of Herman Leonard." read more

Seriously Akron? With all the amazing artists in Akron and the amount of money put into this place....and THIS is the best you can do?! It would take less than an hour to walk through this place, and even with a discounted admission price, I'm not sure it'd be worth it. The 'glass' gallery is literally the size of the glass cabinets in my kitchen (though, don't get me wrong, the pieces in the glass section were absolutely stunning, loved the tiny people in the plant roots). And that holds true for the rest of the works in the museum. The works are stunning, but given the amount of space this building takes up, I would expect it to hold a helluva lot more works. It's possible that I'm a museum snob, but I really think that it should take much longer than an hour to get through the museum. If they began including local artists, especially artists like Woodrow Nash (whose works have figuratively knocked me on my ass), then they might have something that makes them a destination. Now....if they could get a section devoted to his work, I'd be there every day. On that thought, given the diversity of Akron, I would expect to see quite a bit more diversity in the art itself. And there just wasn't. read more

Beautiful atmosphere and was fortunate enough to attend a wedding here and it was a great experience. The stairs are stunning and the museum was great to walk around and enjoy read more

AAM was the stop for a spur of the moment date night between the boy and I. I have always been intrigued by the outside design of the building and the cool lighting at night. Also, at $7 a ticket it's a pretty good deal. The space is nice and open, the displays nicely set up. Even if it was crowded there would be plenty of space to move around. The Paul J Stankard was worth the $7 and more. I loved seeing his work and watching the video, which we did twice. Very intriguing! AAM is also in a good spot- parking decks right across the street and some good restaurants. We continued our date night at Crave- a perfect way to end the evening. read more

I had been meaning to go for a while and finally had a chance on Saturday. Very easy to get to, and parking is available on the street and in the garage. They had an exhibit of Surrealist works from the Whitney and, while interesting, the exhibit should have been titled: "Surrealist or not?", as they left a lot up to the viewers to decide. Hopper, okay, but Wyeth?? The building is a delight architecturally and they now have plans for an outdoor sculpture garden. The gift shop had some very good selections and their cafe features croissants, muffins, coffee of all varieties and even French Press as an option. Note also: Free parking in garage across from museum on weekends!! read more

Growing up in Akron, I used to come here almost every other week. I love the Akron Art Museum! Even though isn't too big, it has a great mix of local contributions and nationally recognized artists. This place has beautiful architecture, a friendly staff, and a great collection. If anyone somewhat likes art, be sure to check out this museum if you're ever in town. P.S. The architecture is especially beautiful in the rain. read more

I can't comment on the previous incarnation of the museum, as we visited it in 10/07. It's not a huge museum, but it has a very nice collection and the architecture is very attractive; they've beautifully incorporated the old (former Post Office building) with the new (huge/expansive amounts of glass). read more

Visited only once for the M.C. Escher Exhibition and didn't have time to roam the rest of the museum. This exhibit was amazing though. I always thought he was great but didn't understand the lithograph process. It was very cool to learn about his different mediums and see works in progress. As far as the location and parking, it is much more convenient than the CLE museum of art. That alone is reason enough to come back. Coming from the west side, it's a pain to get to/find your way around University Circle. This was close to some restaurants and bars downtown Akron which was nice to try out since I don't get out there much. I'll definitely be back next time I feel like getting a little bit of culture in me. read more

It was really nice to see art from local artists from 1850s-1950s. The museum also featured an exhibit about animals than included an interactive piece: a large birds nest with robin's eggs as pillow cushions. That piece invited viewers to grab a book and chill. Just divine! I really like the local involvement of artists in the more contemporary parts of the museum as well. I was really impressed that the Akron Museum of Art showed Akron art rather than mostly borrowed imports. read more

I really like the Akron art Museum it's great for children too lol. Going from old to new art it's just wonderful. And on Thursdays it's free so you can't beat that. Plus the staff are kind and polite. They even have a little cafe. read more

I was most excited about seeing the art of nature "illustrator"/glass blower Paul Stankard, and while his work was impressive, I was most blown away by the kaleidoscope quilts of Paula Nadelstern--gorgeous, hallucinogenic, mind expanding. Only there for a couple more days. And the "Flora" room was amazing as well--nature provides us with such beauty, and some people capture it better than others. Flora: http://www.akronartmuseum.org/calendar/details.php?unid=2114. Beautiful facility, too! read more

Even though I lived in Akron for a number of years, I never made it to the museum. We went on Saturday to see the M.C. Escher exhibit. It was amazing...and packed, which was great to see. It is properly titled "Impossible Realities." I was expecting a snapshot of his work...but was pleasantly surprised that there was such a large representation of his work. The exhibit runs through May 29. I highly recommend making a special trip to take it in. It's not a very big museum, but it was a great mix of modern and classic works. And it was nice to see a number of Ohio artists represented. read more

Very nice museum, albeit a little small. Saw the MC Escher exhibit, which was well laid out, and very impressive. The cafe stand should really stay open later (it closed before tea time!), but otherwise a very nice place to break away from the depression that is NE Ohio. read more

Staff are knowledgeable and helpful. There's a parking garage right across the street (which is free on weekends). The art here is more modern (20th century). It's not large enough to spend the day in, but you could easily spend a couple of hours here. The cafe has light snacks, baked goods, and really good coffee. read more

This is my 3rd visit to the Akron Art Museum and I'm still amazed with the quality of the art and the exhibits they put on. I feel like this museum is maybe a bit overlooked, as Akron is smaller than Cleveland or Columbus, but if you have the chance, go! The glass, concrete and steel building is airy and well set up, and if you like contemporary art (as I do), then you'll feel spoiled gazing at a Trenton Doyle Hanncock or Kiki Smith piece. They have a Lee Bontecou sculpture, Helen Frankenthaler stain painting, and a massive and very colorful wall by Sol LeWitt. It's a smaller collection, but impressive and in my opinion, well chosen. The current El Anatsui installations were breathtaking and even the delicate glass works on view were almost unbelievable in their detail. Worth the very reasonable ($7 flat rate for all access) price of admission. If you know someone who likes more recent artwork, and doesn't have a lot of time or patience, this would be a good place to stop without feeling overloaded with stuff from every time period. (Garage parking available across from the museum entrance, or outside all-day parking lots for $2 close by. We parked on the street a block away and didn't have to pay the meter on the weekend.) read more

The Akron Art Museum is a great facility that is almost entirely brand new. Originally, it was a small building that was built in 1899. The expansion opened in July. It is a spectacular building. I would think of it as Akron's architectural wonder. There is a brochure inside the museum detailing the architecture if you want to find out more. The museum is small, but very open. It is located in Downtown Akron. There are about 5 galleries, 4 of which are interconnected. I've got to say though, most of the art I found extremely out there. It made no sense to me whatsoever. I am not an art expert by any means of the imagination, so those who understand modern art will enjoy those exhibits. There was a room full of nature paintings and portraits, which I enjoyed a lot. I enjoyed the nature more than the paintings, but it was great overall. In that room, the majority of artists had a local connection and there are a few scenes of an older NE Ohio inside there. I also enjoyed the abstract sculptures, even though I had little understanding of them. There will be a sculpture garden in the future. Overall, if you want to spend an afternoon of culture studying art, head to Akron and check out the new Akron Art Museum. read more

Listened to the educators speak at the Take Five: Take Three. Beautiful Museum and wonderful people doing wonderful things!