Mitchell Kahan

2008 ROBERT P. BERGMAN PRIZE

With the average museum director’s tenure running less than five years, Mitchell Kahan’s 22-year-long term as director of the Akron Art Museum is in itself a testament to his success. His stability, vision and ambition have helped him to establish the trust of his staff and board and the community, all of which proved essential in recent years, as he has led the evolution of not only the museum, but of Akron as well.

The museum’s bold, edgy and striking new $36 million-dollar expansion – which the world architectural press has called not only important for Akron, but important for the country – tripled the museum’s gallery space from approximately 8,000 to 20,000 square feet, allowing it to display much of its permanent collection, including important works by Chuck Close, Frank Stella, Lari Pittman, Richard Deacon, George Segal and many others, as well as mounting much larger temporary exhibitions.

Designed by one of the world’s leading architectural firms, Coop Himmelb(l)au, the AAM project is the firm’s first building in the Americas. It has been hailed by international critics in publications including the Washington Post and Art in America, the latter of which wrote, “On every level – as civic architecture, urban catalyst, socializing engine, gallery, steel-and-glass maelstrom, crafted object — the building succeeds. There have been many museums built over the last two decades that have exhibited noble intentions toward their cities and their collections, but the Akron museum stands out within the new generation of museums as a masterwork. [The museum]... had the insight and courage to support a design that matters not only to Akron but also to the country. This is a building of national significance.”

While many people doubted that the Akron Art Museum – a relatively small museum in a relatively small city – could generate support for anything beyond a very modest expansion of its existing space, Kahan developed a thorough and thoughtful plan for this extremely ambitious project with uncompromising insistence on quality and an inspiring artistic vision. Among the results: record-breaking attendance.

A community-minded visionary who works with the belief that small museums and small cities can take risks and achieve greatness, Kahan has also championed local artists. He was one of the founders of Summit Art Space, adjacent to the museum, a collaboration between the arts community and the county. While building a fine contemporary collection with stunning examples of some of the top artists of our time, Kahan has never lost sight of its commitment to the artists of this region, from artists of the old Cleveland School, such as William Sommer, to the most experimental of our contemporaries. Through his efforts over the past two decades, the Akron Art Museum has dedicated itself to presenting bold contemporary work equal to any being shown nationally.

Throughout all of this, under Kahan’s leadership, the institution also increased its endowment by $8.5 million. He has united the community, he has brought art to new audiences and most importantly, he has acquired important treasures for the museum collections. He also succeeded in making the museum an important part of the fabric of life in the city of Akron and beyond.