Emily Davis Gallery—Myers School of Art, The University of Akron

Alex Couch, Grown Folks Business, Gouache, acrylic, collage, ink and graphite on paper, 42 X 33 inches, 2019. Myers School of Art Alumni Purchase 2021.

Beginning May 3, the Emily Davis Gallery at The University of Akron’s Myers School of Art will premiere two exhibitions: Rubber City to Rust Belt: The End of Akron’s Rubber Industry 1976-1987 and Selections from the Myers School of Art Collection.

Rubber City to Rust Belt: The End of Akron’s Rubber Industry 1976-1987 will feature the work of Daniel Mainzer, former staff photographer at Firestone and General Tire. His photographs depict the closing of a chapter of Akron’s history that had lasted over sixty years.

In the late 1970s, the tire industry continued to decline, and Firestone management started looking for ways to reduce costs. As the rest of the Industrial Great Lakes Region began to transition, it became clear to Mainzer that the demise of the industry was coming—so he set out to document it. Mainzer worked as staff photographer until their closing in 1987.

In addition to Mainzer’s work, Selections from the Myers School of Art Collection will also be on display in the Emily Davis Gallery. The exhibition will feature work acquired from Myers School of Art alumni, as well as the work of Bill Owens, Arthur Rothstein, Dmitri Baltermants, Tom Huck, and Andy Warhol.