Mitchell Douglas Kahan

Mitchell Douglas Kahan

Mitchell Kahan, 74, passed away unexpectedly on October 16, 2025 while visiting Washington, D.C. He was born May 1, 1951 in Richmond, Virginia.

Mitchell is survived by his beloved husband, best friend and biggest champion, Christopher Daniel Hixson. Also surviving are his mother Shirley Kahan of Silver Spring, Maryland, brother Alan Kahan and sister-in-law Cindy of Washington, D.C., sister Karen Kahan and sister-in-law MariBen Ramsey of Austin, Texas, sister Barbie (Kahan) Wright and brother-in-law Ron of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, nephew Xander (Ian) Wright of Austin, Texas, several cousins and their spouses, along with devoted employees Veronica Cortés Jaramillo and Juan Gabriel Monzón, and dear friends and mishpuchah around the globe. He was predeceased by father Abraham Kahan, of blessed memory.

Mitchell served as Director and CEO of the Akron Art Museum from 1985 to 2013, one of the longest tenures among art museum directors in the US. Under his leadership, the museum evolved into a nationally and internationally recognized institution, celebrated for its bold exhibitions, community engagement, and groundbreaking architecture. His achievements include masterminding the museum's expansion and renovation which opened in 2007, a striking union of historic and contemporary architecture designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au of Vienna, the firm's first building in the Americas. The new building received extensive accolades worldwide. Art in America wrote, "On every level—as civic architecture, urban catalyst, socializing engine, gallery, steel-and-glass maelstrom, crafted object— the building succeeds. This is a building of national significance."

Under his direction, the Akron Art Museum enjoyed remarkable growth: more than tripling the size of the facility; increasing the endowment tenfold; growing the collection of 2,000 objects to over 5,000; and leading a capital campaign that surpassed its $44.8 million goal. Most significantly for future generations, Mitchell raised almost $5 million in permanent endowment funds for purchases of art; there were no funds for art purchases when he arrived in1986. Not one to rest on laurels, just weeks before his 2012 retirement, Mitchell announced a major gift from museum supporters and close friends Rick and Alita Rogers to build The Bud and Susie Rogers Garden, completing the grand vision. Upon his retirement, Mitchell was named Director Emeritus and Honorary Trustee and continued to offer encouragement to museum leadership.

Throughout his professional life, Mitchell championed the work of living artists, built a significant contemporary art collection, and fostered deep ties between museums and the communities they serve. "Small communities deserve museums of the highest standards," Mitchell said.

A highlight of his Akron career was being the first contemporary art museum to purchase a masterwork (2006) by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui. Six years later, the artist had reached the art world stratosphere, and Mitchell's tenure ended with the monumental and much-lauded El Anatsui exhibition. Mitchell's curatorial insight and steadfast advocacy for the arts left a lasting mark on Akron and beyond.

Mitchell was known for his warmth, humor, curiosity, kindness, and deep appreciation for beauty in all its forms. He never lost his sense of wonder or his delight in learning. He was never shy to get on the floor to play with children, or to meet people exactly where they were and to learn from them. His playfulness and his dance moves were legendary. As a former museum board president once said, "Mitchell could take tea with the most proper ladies and still breakdance at opening parties." In fact, he ruined more than one tuxedo along the way.
His legacy endures in the galleries he helped shape, the artists he inspired, and the generations of visitors who will continue to discover the transformative power of art through his vision.

Mitchell is widely recognized for bringing the work of outsider artist Mose Tolliver to the public eye. Tolliver began displaying his paintings on his Alabama front porch, where they attracted Mitchell's attention, leading to a solo 1981 exhibition at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts where Mitchell served as curator of painting and sculpture before moving to a similar position at North Carolina Museum of Art. A year later, Tolliver's work was included in Black Folk Art in America, 1930-1980 at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC. Tolliver's work is now in museum collections worldwide.

Mitchell earned a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Art History from University of Virginia, a Master of Arts in the History of Art from Columbia University, and Master of Philosophy in Art History and Doctor of Philosophy in Art History from City University of New York Graduate School. He wrote and lectured widely on twentieth-century American art and was a recipient of fellowships at the Smithsonian American Art Museum/Hirshhorn Museum of American Art and the National Endowment for the Arts. He completed his independent study program in museum training at the Whitney Museum of American Art. He was the art curator for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition, and co-author of numerous books. He was a founding officer and president of the Akron Area Arts Alliance, a trustee of Downtown Akron Partnership, president of Akron Roundtable, and president of the board of the Intermuseum Conservation Association. He served on the Knight Foundation National Art Advisory Committee in Miami.

As chair of the programming committee of the Association of Art Museum Directors, the membership organization for leading museum directors throughout North America, he was instrumental in advocating for AAMD's first conference hosted in Mexico (where he and Chris together experienced and fell in love with the country that they would later call home).

He was awarded the Cleveland Arts Prize, the Akron Area Arts Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award, the ASCVB Chairman's Award, the Non-Profit Management Award from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School, and the Ohio Museums Association Distinguished Museum Professional Award, among many others.

He was proud to have marched for equality at the first National March for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979, to have steadfastly supported Chris's LGBT+ activism, and to have been part of the organizing committee for the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation. He and Chris considered their 2003 commitment ceremony in St. Barthélemy as their wedding date, but the laws of the United States didn't catch up with their love until 2016, when they returned to Akron for a civil marriage ceremony at the Summit County Courthouse.

Following his retirement, Mitchell and Chris began spending more time in Mexico, eventually relocating full time to San Miguel de Allende in 2015. Once there, Mitchell embraced retirement and the rich culture of the city. He made a host of new friends while never losing touch with those from the past. He raised stunning orchids, learned Spanish and was an active member of a Spanish language book club, and continued his earlier French studies. He and Chris traveled extensively, taking extended pilgrimages to experience the architectural works of Le Corbusier, enjoying the beauty of the world's finest gardens, seeking out thrilling theater, dance and music, and exploring cultures different from their own. Mitchell found the perfect partner in Chris, making for a perfect love story.

He quietly assisted neighborhood students in finishing degrees and specialized certifications for their careers. A gift in his memory to Jóvenes Adelantes will provide a five-year full university scholarship for a local, first-generation student who chooses a path in architecture or the arts. Mitchell had planned to make the gift in a coming year along with the commitment to mentor the chosen student.

A celebration of Mitchell's life will be held in January 2026 in San Miguel de Allende where his remains will be interred in a nicho in the Panteón de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. "Mexicans celebrate the dead as if they were still living, and we'll be sure to get lots of visitors, especially kids," Mitchell said.

We will celebrate Mitchell's legacy to the community of Akron, Ohio on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at the Akron Art Museum. Visit mitchellkahan.com for further information. Memorial contributions may be made to the Akron Art Museum. Please specify the Mitchell Kahan Curatorial Travel Endowment when making your gift. Mitchell considered travel to conferences, art fairs and other institutions to be central to the professional development and success of every museum curator.

Ars longa, vita brevis.

(Loosely translated: "Life is brief. Art endures." Mitchell's motto, which was carved into the stone arch on the pathway to his longtime home in Akron.)

Cremation and repatriation to Mexico entrusted to Joseph Gawler's Sons, Washington D.C.

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