Scott Goss (b.1980)
Building Up, 2018–2019
Commissioned by Summa Health
Materials: Silkscreened, sandblasted, engraved, drawn, and painted glass panels, fused (108 x 30”)
Location: Summa Health – Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Tower, Akron Campus
(141 N. Forge St.), fifth floor, central waiting room
About the Art and Artist
Commissioned for the Summa Collection, Building Up reflects Scott Goss’s fascination with the layered relationships between Akron’s architectural landscape, from its towering downtown structures to the smaller and more intimate homes that define its neighborhoods. In this piece, Goss merges these elements into an imagined cityscape, drawing attention to the overlooked textures and patterns found on Akron’s historic facades. By enlarging and repositioning these architectural details, he transforms them into striking focal points, urging viewers to rediscover the rich visual language embedded in the city’s-built environment.
Goss employs a complex, multi-step process to create this effect. Using digital rendering, hand painting and drawing, silk-screening, sandblasting, and engraving, he meticulously layers imagery onto glass panels. Vibrant primary and secondary colors help guide the eye through repeating motifs, while the fusing of glass panels adds depth and dimensionality, mirroring the intricate and evolving nature of urban space. His work evokes both memory and celebration, offering an abstracted yet deeply descriptive exploration of Akron’s architectural identity.
Raised in a family of architects, Goss developed an early appreciation for structure and design. He has worked primarily with glass since his undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. His Master of Fine Arts work at Kent State University expanded his practice to include large-scale, multimedia installations, exploring themes of personal, aesthetic, and social significance. Building Up is a continuation of these investigations, engaging viewers in a dynamic interplay between past and present, abstraction and recognition.
Where You Can See More of Scott Goss’s Work
Goss is a faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Art and a recipient of a 2021 Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Award and a grant from the Harpo Foundation. His work can be found in both private and public collections throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California, including his interactive illuminated neon-and-glass sculpture at Worthington Yards in Cleveland’s Warehouse District. He has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions and is represented by galleries in Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, and Pittsburgh.
To explore more of his work, including videos of his large-scale installations, visit his website.