Annapolis Arts Week celebrates creativity
In its third year, Annapolis Arts Week is beginning to gel with arts fun concentrated in a different area of the city each of its eight days.
“At first we had 50 events scattered around town and might have 20 people at an event. This year we are a bit more organized,” said Darin Gilliam, the event’s executive director.
The week, officially June 1-8, kicked off Saturday with Float, an “immersive” event bringing together various artists and creatives to share their work and celebrate Annapolis’s arts scene. Themerrymaking continues with two regularly scheduled festivals — First Sunday and Dinner Under the Stars — plus the annual Paint Annapolis competition.
That’s in addition to art shows, parties, workshops and more.
Art aficionados got a jump on the weeklong celebration Friday night.
Though it’s not on the official Arts Week calendar, ArtFarm held its grand reopening at its new location in the design district.
Gilliam and Ali Harbaugh, partners at ArtFarm, kicked off art happenings in their new, considerably larger digs at 111 Chinquapin Round Road, where they continue their original mission started on West Street — making a space that inspires others to create, encourages artistic innovation and forges a sense of community.
The 3,200-square-foot space has plenty of room to host shows, film screenings, and classes. A just-completed stage will offer small pop-up concerts and performances.
Gilliam said the idea for Arts Week crystalized as she and another business partner, Ben Eisenberg of Symmetry creative agency, were helping to promote the arts and wine festival three years ago.
“The artists were telling us about all the other art happenings the same week,” she said. “One of the common threads was a desire to have a weekend or a week See ARTS, page 5
“At first we had 50 events scattered around town and might have 20 people at an event. This year we are a bit more organized,” said Darin Gilliam, the event’s executive director.
The week, officially June 1-8, kicked off Saturday with Float, an “immersive” event bringing together various artists and creatives to share their work and celebrate Annapolis’s arts scene. Themerrymaking continues with two regularly scheduled festivals — First Sunday and Dinner Under the Stars — plus the annual Paint Annapolis competition.
That’s in addition to art shows, parties, workshops and more.
Art aficionados got a jump on the weeklong celebration Friday night.
Though it’s not on the official Arts Week calendar, ArtFarm held its grand reopening at its new location in the design district.
Gilliam and Ali Harbaugh, partners at ArtFarm, kicked off art happenings in their new, considerably larger digs at 111 Chinquapin Round Road, where they continue their original mission started on West Street — making a space that inspires others to create, encourages artistic innovation and forges a sense of community.
The 3,200-square-foot space has plenty of room to host shows, film screenings, and classes. A just-completed stage will offer small pop-up concerts and performances.
Gilliam said the idea for Arts Week crystalized as she and another business partner, Ben Eisenberg of Symmetry creative agency, were helping to promote the arts and wine festival three years ago.
“The artists were telling us about all the other art happenings the same week,” she said. “One of the common threads was a desire to have a weekend or a week See ARTS, page 5
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