Portland Artists Brighten Downtown Street Closures

If you've been in downtown Portland recently, you know that the City has shut down some streets to accommodate downtown restaurants and shopping during the pandemic. It's all very cool, but one byproduct of this move has been the somewhat ugly concrete barriers blocking the streets. Creative Portland, the city's official non-profit arts agency, to the rescue! Creative Portland has hired five Maine artists to create beautifully designed covers for these barricades. The art not only brightens the barricades but also touts Portland's COVID-19 health messages.

“We’re all in this together,” agreed Portland-based artist Angela Adams, an international leader in contemporary design and one of the artists whose work is featured on the barricades. Check out Angela's barricade below.

From Creative Portland:

“We appreciate the opportunity to keep artists relevant during the pandemic by hiring locals to contribute their artistic designs, taste, style, and flavor to the Old Port and Commercial Street closures,” says Dinah Minot, Executive Director of Creative Portland. “It’s enjoyable for the artists to be part of the reopening process. Their art represents diverse styles of Portland talent. The selected work is inviting and friendly, revealing the heart and soul of Portland while attracting visitors to walk around to see all the different designs.” 

Only Portland, Maine could come up with such a great idea as this! Creative Portland is not only the engine that drives Portland's creative economy but is also the arts organization behind the fantastic COVID-related banners that we've recently seen around Portland. Come on downtown!

.