The wind rustles the tall grass and bees sip at the heads of the purple blooms. Conversations carry about across benches and the smell of food permeates the air. Something is buzzing just beneath the surface and it is a joy to behold.

The Akron Art Museum has finally completed one of its finest projects yet. The Bud & Susie Rogers Garden is a nature-filled space open to the public during daytime hours. Named after a couple who embodied philanthropy over the course of their lives, it calls to the people. The sense of movement plays a key part. The various levels and the pathway with no straight shot guides a person through the space. You are forced to move slow and take it all in.

A large green area sits in the center and the museum has already begun programming it. Mindful meditation classes during the lunch hour (not every day) brings people from their desks and skyscrapers out to the community. Music seduces people out after work for the Thursday Downtown @ Dusk sessions. We have welcomed this space with open arms. We have claimed it immediately and I can’t think of a better response to have.

But as I visit this space, the more and more I realize one thing that can be improved. During the lunch hour when the sun is high in the sky, it can get a bit uncomfortable.

Tables and umbrellas in the empty concrete area where the stage would go could rectify the issue. Not only would it break up the space, but it would provide necessary shade for those who aren’t looking for a tan. Beyond that, I think the space is just what we needed.

Thank you, Akron Art Museum. We craved it and we didn’t know we did.

Thank you for reading,