The Longest Table

Civic Saturday Akron invited us to collaborate on Akron’s first Longest Table, a free, open-air potluck on a downtown sidewalk, gathering neighbors from all walks of life around a single shared table. They wanted to create an event that was inclusive and intentionally designed to foster a sense of belonging, while inviting attendees to creatively engage with hard truths about food equity in Akron and beyond.

With Civic Saturday’s vision to reimagine a civic space through co-creative placemaking, we selected the location of Lock 3, a recently revitalized downtown park project supported by Reimagining the Civic Commons.

In this Rust Belt city where over half the residents can’t afford the monthly cost of living, a potluck is an invitation to confront the challenges of hunger and its root causes head on. For that, we turned to grassroots food org People Feeding People who brought with them Feeding America’s Akron Canton Regional Foodbank to build a pop-up free grocery store into the event, inviting residents of Mayflower Manor, a HUD-subsidized housing community to sit down with their neighbors and share a meal. This was one of those unusual events where it felt that truly everyone belonged.

From creative direction and event design to on-the-ground production, we shaped an unforgettable experience with live music, collaborative chalk art, local artists, purveyors, non-profits and grassroots groups — transforming a civic vision into a vivid, welcoming gathering. Our team led creative direction and partnerships, orchestrated event production, captured the day through video and photography, drove social media strategy and content production, and secured earned media coverage—turning a simple potluck into a shared celebration of abundance, mutual aid, and civic joy.