Faces of Milton Community Art Project at Back to Business Event

 Celebrate the People Who Make Milton Special

The Milton Art Center invites residents, students, local employees and visitors of all ages to help create Faces of Milton, a new community public art project celebrating the people who live and work in Milton.

The project will begin at the annual Back to Business community event on Friday, September 4, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the East Milton Deck. During the event, participants will be invited to create simple self-portraits featuring their names. Teen artists will be available to offer guidance and assistance; no art experience is needed to draw a sketch portrait. 

Each portrait will become part of something much larger. The individual drawings will be collected, digitally combined and reproduced as durable vinyl wraps for the eight concrete planters at the East Milton Deck and Manning Park. Together, hundreds of portraits will form a public artwork reflecting the creativity, character and community spirit of Milton.

This project for the planters has not been approved by the Town of Milton yet. Community members are encouraged to stop by the Back to Business event to view the design choices and vote for the one they like best. The selected design is subject to the town’s review and approval before installation. 

The Milton Art Center is grateful to the Milton Cultural Council for awarding a $2,000 grant to help launch Faces of Milton. This generous support has made it possible to get the project underway. Additional funding is now being sought to help cover the remaining design, production and installation costs.

To ensure that young people throughout the community have an opportunity to participate, the Milton Art Center has also distributed project supplies to all eight art teachers in the Milton Public Schools. Students across town are being invited to contribute their own portraits to this community-wide work of art. This project is not just for children though, we encourage all ages to add their portraits to this project. In September, the Milton Art Center will have a collection box in front of the building to collect hand drawn portraits. 

Faces of Milton is more than an art project. It is an opportunity for neighbors, students, families and members of Milton’s workforce to see themselves, and one another, as an important part of the community. Everyone is welcome to stop by during Back to Business, draw a portrait and add their face to Milton’s story.