Portraits from Annapolis: Bringing Art to the Streets
Organizers of Annapolis Arts Week, AND Creative Gallery is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the City of Annapolis, bringing original artwork directly to the streets of our community. Together, we're launching "Portraits from Annapolis," a public art initiative that celebrates the people, faces, and spirit of our city through the eyes of local artists.
A Citywide Canvas
Rather than confining this artwork to gallery walls, "Portraits from Annapolis" will transform the streetscape itself into an open-air exhibition. Banners featuring original portrait work will be displayed Downtown Annapolis, inviting residents and visitors alike to encounter art as they go about their daily lives, on the way to work, during a stroll downtown, or while exploring the historic streets that make Annapolis so distinctive.
Meet the Artists
For this project, AND Creative Gallery selected eight artists from or with ties to Annapolis, each bringing a unique voice and visual style to the theme of portraiture. The featured artists include:
Charles Lawrance
Jeff Huntington
Marisa Evangelista
Joanna Bigelow
Gia Tonic
Anita Hagan
Glory Paredes
Each artist was invited to explore what a "portrait" can mean — not just a technical rendering of a face, but a window into identity, memory, and community.
Faces Familiar and Imagined
The portraits featured in this exhibition span a remarkable range of subjects: neighbors we might pass on the street, imagined faces born purely from the artists' imaginations, and figures drawn from lives and experiences beyond our own. Taken together, these works form a mosaic that reflects the true diversity of the Annapolis art scene: different styles, different perspectives, and different stories, all connected by a shared sense of place.
A Community Effort
Public art projects like this one don't come together without collaboration, and we're deeply grateful to our partners who made "Portraits from Annapolis" possible. A special thank you goes to Minuteman Press for partnering with us to bring these banners to life, turning original artwork into durable installations ready to greet the city.
We're also thankful to the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the City of Annapolis for believing in the power of accessible, public-facing art to enrich our shared spaces.
Experience It for Yourself
Keep an eye out around Annapolis for these striking banners, and take a moment to look closely; you may recognize a neighbor, discover a new favorite artist, or simply enjoy the beauty of a city that wears its creativity proudly on its sleeve.
Stay tuned to AND Creative Gallery for more details on the exhibition and future collaborations bringing art into the everyday life of our community.
