Akron Stories Kiosk

In 2019, Art x Love was engaged by Miriam Ray and Beth Becker to assist with the development and facilitation of the Rubber Worker Statue & Akron Stories project. Mac consolidated the project into manageable parts. The City of Akron took on the production of the statue, and Art x Love managed the commemorative brick sales to fund the oral history project and procurement of a touchscreen all-weather audio/visual kiosk.

The Akron Stories kiosk was custom built for the Akron Stories project by TSi Touch and BSC Enclosures, and was installed in the commemorative plaza in 2020. Because no Wi-Fi access was available, Art x Love partnered with Ethode to develop a custom-designed application to manage the public interface and use of the kiosk. Every element of the design was optimized for the public. The speaker system from Brown Innovation included a motion sensor that adjusted volume based on the viewer’s proximity to the kiosk. When not in use for 15 minutes, the kiosk would automatically play a random selection of videos for 5 minutes. Numerous other behavioral programs were developed to optimize the experience for public use.

In the spring of 2023, an unknown vehicle or person collided with the kiosk and bent it 5º backwards, requiring the immediately removal of the kiosk and enclosure. In 2024, Art x Love applied for and secured an ArtsForward grant to create 100 new Akron Stories videos for the kiosk, and funds to move the kiosk to the S Main St. lobby of the Main Branch Library. With support from the Friends of Main Branch library, Art x Love was able to purchase a new base from BSC Enclosures to safely secure the kiosk in the lobby.

The Akron Stories kiosk will be installed in the Main Branch Library in downtown Akron by the end of 2025. If you have any questions about the project, please visit akronstories.com or email us at contact@artxlove.com