Public art is murals, sculptures, memorials, performances, architectural work, and more. It is small or large, it can tower above your head or sit beneath your toes, carved or built, assembled or painted. But still, one thing remains: it is and forever will be public. It resides in the physical public space, uncontained by walls and accessible to everyone. It represents the community in which it dwells.
The thriving public art scene in Anne Arundel County is driven through collaboration with our community partners, organizations, and most importantly, by our amazing artists. The Arts Council of Anne Arundel County works with the Maryland State Arts Council, City of Annapolis and County agencies, residents, sculptors, and painters to build support for projects, plan the artwork, and secure funding. The result is artwork that is both OF and FOR the community.
As part of a series of creative, place-making enhancements, Anne Arundel County is pursuing beautifying its properties through public art, including adding this mural to the “Big White Wall” on the Arundel Center in downtown Annapolis. Comacell Brown, Jr. aka Cell Spitfire, and Cindy Fletcher-Holden were selected to collaborate on the work, which was installed during July and August 2022.
Parole Health Center Mural
ACAAC worked with artist Jeff Huntington in 2024 to create a new mural in Annapolis that commemorates the history of the Parole Health Center. In 1936, Walter S. Mills, Principal of the Parole Elementary School, said “Every child has the right to be born a healthy child.” These words inspired a campaign to create a health care center for the community, which today provides medical services to residents as part of the Anne Arundel Department of Public Health.
Rails to Trails Sculpture
In 2023, ACAAC received grant funding from MSAC to plan, fabricate, and install a Rails to Trails sculpture by local artist James O’Neil in a pocket park created as part of the revitalization project in Glen Burnie Town Center. The work celebrates the site’s history as an important rail depot, creates a connection between the B & A Trail and Glen Burnie Town Center, and visually links to other works of public art within sight lines of the venue.
Anne Arundel County Council Chambers Mural
At Arundel Center in Annapolis, artist Sally Comport installed this custom diptych painting depicting the spirited, inventive, and diverse workforce of Anne Arundel County, both presently and historically, in figurative representations. It is the artist’s intent that this work in the County Council Chambers will inspire Council members and visitors to recognize, encourage, and honor the peoples’ lives and livelihoods in the community, and keep them in the forefront of their decisions as they lead.
Severn Center Mosaic
Anne Arundel County’s recently constructed intergenerational community center in Severn features two public artworks. Art with a Heart from Baltimore created the first, a mosaic that captures the power, history, and beauty of the Severn River and its tributaries. This design honors the river and recognizes its connection to the community. The movement of water is captured in mosaic, using glass and mirror of varying colors and textures, creating an ombre of blues to greens. Ceramic thumbprints made by local residents add special focal and textural components within the mosaic and reflect the power of the grass roots community effort that gave rise to the Severn Center.
Severn Center Mural
Artist Nikki Brooks’ mural features a vibrant and colorful color-blocked background with textures and prints that connect to African American culture. Maryland images include our state flag and state flower. Framing the lower portion of the mural is a black and white collage of intergenerational images of youth, adults, families, leaders, and historical sites representing the Severn community. In the center of the mural stands Elijah E. Cummings with one of his most famous quotes, “I want justice, oceans of it. I want fairness, rivers of it,” the flowing water imagery providing a clear symbolic connection to the mosaic in the adjacent plaza.