Akron on Deck

Akron On Deck is a unique playing card set featuring 54 Akron businesses and landmarks, with cards designed by 54 local artists. Art x Love created Akron on Deck in 2020 as a Kickstarter project to support local creatives and businesses through the pandemic. 40% of the proceeds from card sales go directly to the artists as royalty payments for life.

Following the success of Akron on Deck, we produced Akron on Deck II in 2022, featuring 54 new card designs by local artists and 54 different Akron icons and landmarks. Since 2020, Art x Love has sold more than 12,000 decks and raised more than $100,000 for local artists, businesses, and non-profits with Akron on Deck.

With the Akron Bicentennial kicking off in December 2024, we’re happy to announce that we are currently developing Akron on Deck III: Bicentennial Edition. This third and final playing card set will be available for the 2024 holiday season and beyond.

You can also purchase Akron on Deck from the following retailers:

Steps to Equity

In 2020, The Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship at John Carroll University engaged Art x Love to support “new programs and projects that empower children and residents to build a stronger, more connected community.” We worked with residents and students from Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills neighborhoods to research the area, identify areas for improvement, and partner with local organizations and stakeholders to improve quality of life in the area.

Our work began with a Buckeye-Shaker GIS walkability assessment. Residents and students walked every sidewalk in the neighborhood and assessed the condition of roadways, sidewalks, structures, greenery, littler, visibility, perception of safety, and mapped ideas for improvement.

Based on our findings and ongoing conversations with residents, Art x Love produced The Village Activity Book, a free 16-page all-ages educational and participatory design tool designed to help residents share their vision for the future. More than 3,000 copies were distributed across Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills. We received hundreds of submissions and thousands of responses were collected, analyzed, and shared with local stakeholders and leaders to guide and inform future planning.

The data these projects collected proved a valuable resource for Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills residents, as well as local stakeholders and leaders. We were able to refer residents to funding opportunities, inform city planning projects, connect like-minded neighborhood ambassadors, and build stronger community connections.

In 2022, LANDstudio engaged us with an urgent public art opportunity to leverage our findings as a creative extension of the We Wear the Mask project. We met with local artists from the project, developed public art concepts based on the community’s activity book submissions, returned to the streets to test the concepts with residents, successfully pitched our project to the City of Cleveland’s art commission, and worked with Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc. to produce and install the ARISE/ASPIRE mural on the corner of E. 120th St. & Buckeye Road.

In 2023, the Cleveland Public Library engaged us to produce a collaborative community mural for the Rice Branch Library based on submissions from the The Village Activity Book. John Carroll University generously offered to fund the project as a part of their continuing investment and service to the community.

The map of Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills that appeared on the cover The Village Activity Book was selected as the preferred concept for development. A day was organized for the community to come out and paint, and more than 75 residents of all ages showed up and made their mark. Over the next several weeks, Mac continued painting and adding library patron’s words of affirmation to the mural. The final piece was titled Land of OpportUNITY and serves as both an inspiring point of pride for the community and wayfinding resource.

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John Carroll University is committed to providing its students with meaningful learning experiences that take an equitable approach to community building, and is making a long-term investment to support the Ward 6 area with a focus on the Woodland Hills and Buckeye-Shaker neighborhoods on the east side of Cleveland. These projects are strategically designed to raise awareness of community assets and liabilities, and to help organizations align with residents toward an equitable, inclusive, and enduring vision for the community with real collaboration and meaningful investment.

Art x Love is delighted to continue this partnership to collaborate with residents and local organizations to support equitable, sustainable, and meaningful change for the people of Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills.

Akron Stories

In 2019, Art x Love was engaged by a community of passionate Akron residents to help advocate for a statue dedicated to the people who made Akron the “Rubber Capital of the World.” We refined their strategic plan, and helped secure funding from the City of Akron to commission and install the statue by famous Zanesville (OH) sculptor, Alan Cottrill.

Art x Love created the Akron Stories website, all marketing materials, managed community events, and coordinated commemorative brick sales to fund an oral history project dedicated to preserving the stories of Akron’s rubber workers. To date, we have conducted more than 150 interviews, collected thousands of stories, and produced more than 100 mini-documentary films that bring each story to life using family photographs and archival film.

To share these stories with the public, we produced an all-weather touchscreen kiosk that was installed in the commemorative plaza, allowing visitors to explore the stories and find the exact location of their commemorative bricks. After 3 years of being on display, the kiosk was hit by a service vehicle and had to removed. We are currently working on finding a new permanent home for it.

In 2023, the Akron Stories team was recognized by the Ohio House of Representatives for “their tremendous efforts to guarantee that the past will not be forgotten, and the dedication of this new monument convincingly demonstrates how very much can be accomplished by a group of conscientious people with clear objectives and firm resolve. Indeed, they have distinguished themselves as concerned and responsible citizens and have, with admirable dedication, helped sustain the history of the area."

@PLAY Akron

In 2017, Art x Love was awarded a $240,000 Knight Cities grant for @PLAY Akron, an 18-month, 24-neighborhood, interactive art project designed to bring diverse people together and encourage deeper community connections. Our team walked and biked every street in the city, conducted thousands of street intercept interviews with residents and stakeholders, and produced more than 100 murals and 50 placemaking transformations across the city.

@PLAY Akron has inspired millions of dollars of new investment and systemic change across the City of Akron, and fundamentally changed the way local organizations and non-profits approach neighborhood research, community engagement, and creative collaboration.

Quality of Life Day

Art x Love was invited to give the closing presentation on Why Art Matters at “Quality of Life Day” for the City of Green’s Community Leadership Initiative. This program for business and community leaders is designed to foster and encourage community engagement, immersing participants in an in-depth leadership program focused on Green, Ohio.

The program day that included an introduction to Pickleball and presentations from Ohio & Erie Canalway, Summit Metro Parks, Akron Community Foundation, and the City of Green.

We were delighted to learn that participants voted Art x Love among the most valuable experiences of the day, calling the presentation “So eye opening – I did not expect art to be so useful in placemaking and changing the space into something better.”

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope is an art exhibition featuring the creative work, reflections, and stories of more than 90 local artists and individuals whose healing journeys have been transformed through art. The exhibition takes its name from a gathering of butterflies, which is called “a kaleidoscope.”

More than 150 people filled the halls for the opening exhibit, which also served as inspiring introduction to Stewart’s Caring Place’s facility and services.

Art x Love managed all art submissions, curated and hung the exhibition, and created all marketing collateral and supporting materials for the show included the exhibition booklet and sales guide for staff.

To learn more about the artists and their healing journey, visit the exhibit Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, now through August 8th, 2023.

GSM Silent Disco

Grace Church’s Student Ministries (6th-12th grade) used our @PLAY silent disco headsets for their “Whiteout” blacklight dance party. Everyone wore white shirts, put on a headset, danced, gathered, and glowed with friends through the night. Live DJ’s, food, music, and games kept the party going – it was a blast!

To learn more about our Silent Disco Headsets and book a reservation, click the button below.

Akron Stories Recognition

"The spirit of the nation is founded upon, and reflected in, its exciting and colorful past. Launched in 2019, this grassroots initiative (Akron Stories) has labored to collect, preserve, and celebrate the stories of local rubber workers and their descendants. Great care and considerable resources have been invested in this endeavor, and it is sure to become a source of pride for the whole community."

"All those associated with the Akron Stories project are to be commended for their tremendous efforts to guarantee that the past will not be forgotten, and the dedication of this new monument convincingly demonstrates how very much can be accomplished by a group of conscientious people with clear objectives and firm resolve. Indeed, they have distinguished themselves as concerned and responsible citizens and have, with admirable dedication, helped sustain the history of the area."

• Ohio House of Representatives •

7 Years

We founded Art x Love in 2015 to make a meaningful and sustainable impact through art and design. We believed that creative best practices could help systemically shift cultural and environmental dynamics, inspire others, and change the perception of art to a necessity rather than a luxury. We hoped this would forge a path for more creative professionals to be paid fairly and respected for their artistic vision. As we celebrate our 7th anniversary, we extend our most heartfelt thanks to our clients, the hundreds of artists we’ve been able to work with, and the many thousands of community members who’ve embraced art as an important part of their lives. Thank you for believing in us, in artists, and in the power of art. We're ready for the next 7!

Akron on Deck II

Akron on Deck II is the sequel to Art x Love’s popular playing card set, featuring 54 Akron landmarks and icons, with cards by 54 local artists.

Akron on Deck was launched as a Kickstarter in 2020 to support local artists and businesses during the pandemic. 40% of the proceeds from card sales go to the featured artists as annual royalty payments for life. Since 2020 we have sold more than 10,000 decks and raised more than $75,000 for local artists, businesses, and non-profits through this initiative.

A Dedication to Remember

On October 9, 2021, Art x Love hosted the Rubber Worker Statue & Stories dedication ceremony in downtown Akron. Hundreds of people gathered to honor family members, friends, and loved ones. We created this video to honor the occasion and help others understand the remarkable spirit and legacy of the rubber workers.

Since 2019, Art x Love has led and managed the Rubber Worker Statue & Stories Project in collaboration with the City of Akron, Summit County Historical Society, Akron-Summit County Public Library, and the University of Akron. We created Akron Stories as a grassroots initiative to advocate for the rubber worker statue and collect the stories of Akron’s rubber workers and their descendants. This project culminated in 2021 with the unveiling of Alan Cottrill’s rubber worker statue and the installation of the Akron Stories kiosk.

Visit AkronStories.com to learn more.

@PLAY Silent Discos

Liven up your event with Silent Disco! Art x Love has 200 silent disco headsets and 3 transmitters that are available to rent for parties, events, fundraisers, and interactive experiences in northeast Ohio. We’ve used these headsets to produce interactive neighborhood cleanups, birthday parties, guided meditation, yoga, history tours, and more.

Email contact@artxlove.com or call 330.238.8588 to learn more about pricing and availability for your next event.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much does it cost?

It’s $5.00 per headset per day, and $20 per transmitter per day.

Shipping, delivery, and pickup

We do not ship our headsets. Pickup is available from Art x Love Studios, Monday-Friday from 10am-4pm or by appointment. Our address is 1969 N Cleveland Massillon Rd., Akron, OH 44333

We can deliver and pick-up the equipment for additional fee.

Do you provide DJ’s?

Yes, we can help you book DJ’s for an additional fee (typically $50/hr per DJ).

How do the headsets work?

Each cordless headset has a power switch, volume control, and three audio channels with LED lights that glow blue, red, or green depending on which channel you listen to. Each channel is specially tuned to the unique frequency of a transmitter.

How do the transmitters work?

Each transmitter has a power cable, power switch, antenna, channel control (1-3), left/right audio ports, and comes with an audio cable that can be plugged into computers, phones, microphones, and can be configured to work with all audio sources. Once plugged in and connected to an audio device, the transmitter sends that audio to whichever channel of the headset you’d like. We recommend using 2-3 transmitters for all Silent Disco events.

Still don’t get it?

Participants get to choose which channel of audio they want to listen to. If you rent 3 transmitters you can have Channel #1 connected to a DJ, Channel #2 connected to an iPod, and Channel #3 connected to a phone. This allows users three different and unique audio experiences to choose from.

What is the equipment’s range?

50-100 yards depending on the number of obstructions (floors, walls, buildings, etc.).

What happens if they get wet or break?

This equipment is NOT weatherproof. Any loss, damage, or breakage will result in a replacement fee of $40.00 per headset, $250.00 per transmitter, and $20.00 per audio cable.

What are the product specs & features?

Our @PLAY Silent Disco headsets are an open wireless RF stereo headphone system. Each headset has a folding design for easy storage, and vibrant LED lights on both sides. The headsets and transmitters use detailed analytical sound reproduction with strong bass response. Soft ear pads offer superior comfort and noise cancellation. The wireless headsets offer a range of freedom and movement with reception through walls and ceilings.

Can you give me the technical data?

System: UHF/RF 
Modulation: FM 
Mode: stereo 
Channel option: 3 channels 
LED lights: Blue, Red, Green 
Signal-to-noise ratio: >75dB 
THD: <1% 
Speaker: 40mm mylar 
Frequency response: 30~20000Hz 
Channel separation: >35dB 
Operation time: 10 hours 
Charging time: 3 hours 
Power supply: Rechargeable Lithium-Polymer battery (500mAh)