Cleveland Museum of Art and Akron Children’s partner to expand arts-based family and wellness programs

05-26-2026 (Akron, Mahoning Valley, Ohio)

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The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) and Akron Children’s have announced a new partnership that brings together pediatric health and arts engagement through family-centered museum experiences, adaptive art programs, and wellness-focused initiatives designed for children across northeast Ohio. The collaboration includes a series of programs that combine creative activities with clinical expertise to support children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Research increasingly points to the role creative engagement can play in emotional wellness, stress reduction, and child development.

As part of the collaboration, Akron Children’s sponsors the Welcome Center in the CMA’s Susan M. Kaesgen Education Gallery and Lobby, a family-focused gathering space that serves as a gateway to the museum’s classrooms and educational programming. The area includes resources and materials designed for families, caregivers, and school groups.

The partnership also delivers programming beyond the museum through adaptive virtual art classes for Akron Children’s patients. These classes, provided in cooperation with the hospital’s Expressive Therapy Center provide accessible creative experiences that encourage self-expression and build resilience. In addition, the team is working with the CMA’s Studio Go to co-develop arts and wellness activities.

“The Cleveland Museum of Art has long enriched the lives of families in our region, and we’re proud to partner with an organization that opens the door to creativity for children,” said Chris Gessner, Akron Children’s CEO. “Exposure to the arts plays a key role in how children learn and grow. It gives them ways to express themselves and better understand the world.

“We are committed to deepening our presence across Cleveland and beyond,” he added. “Working with the Cleveland Museum of Art is a natural extension of that effort by helping us support children’s overall well-being, including opportunities that inspire creativity and joy.”

Among the new in-gallery resources made possible with the support of Akron Children’s is the Little Thinkers Project. The initiative includes interpretive materials and a family guide to further enhance opportunities for kids and families to engage with the museum’s permanent collection. Akron Children’s is also integrated into the CMA’s major public programs, such as its Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, Family Play Days, and Parade the Circle.

"Museums can play an important role in supporting emotional well-being, learning, and connection for families,” said Todd Mesek, chief marketing officer at the CMA. “This partnership allows us to expand how we serve children and caregivers through creative experiences that are welcoming, accessible, and rooted in care.”

For families in Greater Cleveland, Akron Children’s offers primary and specialty care, outpatient surgery, and urgent care at its locations in Beachwood. It also offers primary care, quick care, and breastfeeding medicine at its location in Mayfield Heights. Most recently, the health system announced a new collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio as its exclusive pediatric partner for health services and programming. As part of that partnership, Akron Children’s will open a new pediatric primary care office on Broadway Avenue in Cleveland in October 2026, further deepening its commitment to families in Greater Cleveland and across the region.

Akron Children’s is the only healthcare system in northeast Ohio that is solely focused on pediatric care and is 100% dedicated to protecting, preserving, and enriching every stage of childhood. Families have access to pediatric specialists at two hospital campuses, eight regional health centers, and more than 50 primary and specialty care locations across northeast and southeast Ohio. Beyond its facilities, Akron Children’s takes a connected approach to care—reaching into the communities where children and families live and thrive.

This collaboration represents the CMA’s first partnership of its kind with a children’s healthcare provider and offers a model for how cultural and medical institutions can work together to better serve their communities.