The former head of the Akron Art Museum, Mitchell Kahan, died unexpectedly last month at 74.
As director and CEO from 1986-2013, he grew the museum’s holdings and oversaw a major expansion, which opened in 2007.
“Mitchell was a very kind, caring individual,” said current CEO John Fiume. “Even after his retirement, he never really left the institution. He cared so deeply for it. He visited quite often.”
Fiume was a board member from 2005-2015 and remembered Kahan as a friend and mentor.
“He served as an incredible resource to me to understand some of the history of the organization,” he said. “He also encouraged me to get involved with the Association of Art Museum Directors. Mitchell influenced me in a way that really helped with my own professional development. It was always nice to know that he was an e-mail away or a text message away as I navigate the institution today.”
The 2007 expansion married the original 19th century home to a new, modern extension that tripled the museum’s size.
“Had that expansion not occurred, I believe this museum would be a typical, consistent, quality institution sitting in a mid-sized city,” he said. “With the expansion, we are a mid-sized museum that is well-known on the national stage of art museums.”
Fiume credited Kahan with increasing the museum’s holdings from 2,000 to 5,000 pieces, many among the earliest purchases from then-emerging artists such as El Anatsui and Lari Pittman.
“He was a curator at heart,” he said. “I think he had an exceptional eye for good artwork. He had a passion for bringing attention to unknown artists. And now due to that practice, the pieces we have in the collection are absolutely to be unexpected in a mid-sized museum.”
Upon retiring, Kahan was named director emeritus and honorary trustee. He was a founding member of the Akron Area Arts Alliance and was awarded a Cleveland Arts Prize in 2008.
The Virginia native was visiting Washington, D.C., when he unexpectedly died on Oct. 16. He is survived by his husband, Christopher Daniel Hixson, siblings and mother.
The museum will host a celebration of his legacy on May 9, 2026.
