Annapolis Arts Week celebrates creativity
Weeklong celebration of artists features outdoor festival, juried plein air painting competition, block party, community art show and more
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.
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 re-opening 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 dedicated to all the arts in Annapolis.”
So they met with artists, art organizations like the Annapolis Arts Alliance and Maryland Federation of Art, and gallery owners — and Annapolis Arts Week was born.
The initial reaction was positive; there were spikes of visitors and artists noted more people saying they had seen their work or performance.
“We really want to shine a light on the community that gives to much vibrancy to Annapolis,” Gilliam said.
A big boost came from Visit Annapolis, which has been promoting the city as an arts destination.
“They budgeted marketing for Arts Week which really helped get the word out across all media — radio, print, social media,” Gilliam said.
Arts Week at a glance
Here’s a closer look at the events:
Billed as an “immersive” art experience, the celebration Saturday showcased a wide variety of art and creative talents including the Annapolis Arts Alliance Gallery, Annapolis Watercolor Club Gallery, a live art installation by muralist and painter Jeff Huntington, plus displays by Kim Hovelland Jennifer Casey Photography.
At this outdoor festival, 130 local and regional artists meet the community, accompanied by food and music.
This marks the 19th year of the juried plein air painting competition under the auspices of the Maryland Federation of Art. The event culminates with the artist’s work being hung at Circle Gallery, 18 State Circle, on June 8 and 9. A quick-paint session on Sunday concludes with works on display at Susan Campbell Park. On Tuesday the Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second St., hangs work related to the Chesapeake Bay. Wednesday brings artists out to Dinner Under the Stars for Paint Annapolis Nocturne after sundown, and Thursday they converge on Maryland Avenue.
Plein air artists’ work is put on display for a block party with vendors, live music and a beer garden. The public can vote for their favorites, with prizes awarded at the end of the night.
This community-wide art show at Annapolis Towne Centre features works by members of the Annapolis Arts Alliance and Anne Arundel County school students from Studio 39, the county’s arts magnet public school. The art will be hung in space donated by the Annapolis Towne Centre next to Muse Paintbar. And starting at 7 p.m. enjoy the Dan Haas Band appearing as part of the Towne Centre’s Friday Night Summer Concerts Series.
For further information, visit annapolisartsweek.com.
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