Artists of Rubber City (AoRC), is a visual arts nonprofit with the mission to advocate for contemporary artists and Ohio art. We promote the appreciation and ownership of art created by contemporary artists as one facet of the rich culture to be found in Northeast Ohio.

Our membership includes painters, photographers, printmakers, fiber artists, potters, ceramicists, glass artists, mixed-media artists, graphic artists, sculptors, jewelers, and some who aren’t artists at all; they just love and support the visual arts. This rich mixture of talent and interests keeps AoRC lively and interesting.

We offer a number of events and opportunities for our members to display their talents and socialize.

•Monthly member meetings with programs including guest speakers, studio visits, and critiques

•All-media member shows

•Discounted entry fee for our Annual Juried Show

•The COG grant program

•A summer picnic and winter holiday party

•Exhibition opportunities in the BOX Gallery

History

In 1978, Artists of Rubber City (AoRC) was founded by a group of University of Akron art students looking for places to display their work and for a way to stay connected.

From its beginning, AoRC has had as a central part of its mission, the goal of increasing the number of venues for the exhibition of local art. In 2005 a significant part of that goal was realized with the donation of gallery space in a house on Crouse Street, near the University of Akron. That space was lost in 2008 when the house was purchased and demolished by the city as part of the University Park improvement project. In 2009 we opened our current gallery space, the BOX,  on the third floor of Summit Artspace near the Akron Art Museum in downtown Akron.

The years since 1978 have not been idle ones. A number of exhibitions have been held as our reputation as an eclectic, contemporary arts group grew. Early on we presented the “Rubber Show” in which all entries had to make use of rubber in some way. Other shows followed and in 2009 we mounted our 19th annual Juried Show, open to all artists working in any medium. On the civic front we have worked with high school students to create a large, outdoor mural project. More recently we produced a coloring book as a fund raiser for the Civic Theater with the pages depicting architectural details of the theater. We have participated both as a group and as individuals in First Night events, the Lock 3 Summer Arts Experience, the Akron Artwalks, and the Akron Art Museum’s Sunday Samplers.

We have a number of professional artists among our members and prior members have gone on to become university professors, museum staff, and published architecture and art authorities.