FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TEMPOart commissions three Maine-based artists in 2026 for temporary public art projects

November 20, 2025, Portland, Maine: TEMPOart is thrilled to announce the artists selected for its 2026 season of temporary public art activations. This year marks a major milestone for the organization’s 10th anniversary, and with it comes a new, expanded approach to commissioning public art in Portland.

The 2026 cohort includes Aquarius Funkk, verónica a. pèrez, and Arisa White. Each artist will create an interactive public art activation in Portland during the 2026 calendar year.

“This is an exciting year for TEMPOart,” says Laura McDermit, executive director. “We are celebrating ten years as an organization, and we are commissioning three truly incredible artists to create in Portland.” 

In previous years, TEMPOart commissioned a single visual artist annually. The three artists selected for 2026 work with a variety of mediums including performance, poetry, and visual art. Expanding beyond object-based work, the 2026 activations invite the artists to imagine temporary moments that create connection, spark curiosity, and, as stated in the original call for artists: “to celebrate, play, and find joy in our shared spaces.” 

The artists were selected by a community selection panel through an open call. Panelists included artist Aaron Stephan, artist and Indigo Arts Alliance Studio and Programs manager Ashley Page, curator and SPACE Gallery Development & Special Projects manager Meg Hahn, Friends of Congress Square Park executive director C.J. Opperthauser, and Mayo Street Arts executive director Ian Bannon. 

The artists are in design development; more information about the proposed art activations will be available in early 2026. 

About the Artists

Aquarius Funkk (they/them) is an experimental and interdisciplinary artist based in Portland, ME. Their artistry weaves world-building, persona-making, and ritual actions into emotive images, live performances, experimental film & media, and immersive experiences.

Aquarius is a 15-year pioneer of queer underground culture in Portland, Maine, and they are committed to creating spaces for free expression both on and beyond the dance floor. https://aquariusfunkk.com/

verónica a. pèrez (they/them) is an artist whose work is deeply rooted in the community, exploring themes of erasure/repair, identity, and interdependency through their personal work and their braiding circles workshops. 

pèrez graduated with their BFA from Moore College of Art and Design in 2014 and received their MFA from Maine College of Art in 2016. https://veronicaaperez.com/

Arisa White is an associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Colby College. She is the author of Who’s Your Daddy, co-editor of Home Is Where You Queer Your Heart, and co-author of Biddy Mason Speaks Up.

Her poetry is widely published, and her collections have been nominated for an NAACP Image Award and a Lambda Literary Award, and have won the Per Diem Poetry Prize, the Maine Literary Award, the Nautilus Book Award, the Independent Publisher Book Award, the Golden Crown Literary Award, and the Airlie Press Prize. https://arisawhite.com/

About TEMPOart
TEMPOart commissions temporary public art that sparks dialogue, builds community, and inspires collective imagination. For the last decade, TEMPOart has activated Portland’s public spaces with projects that invite people into shared experiences and discover new ways to connect with their city and each other.

https://tempoartmaine.org/