ESTEBAN DEL VALLE BEGINS SIX-WEEK RESIDENCY AT ACADEMY ART MUSEUM ON MARYLAND’S EASTERN SHORE
In a First-of-Its-Kind Partnership with the Waterfowl Festival, Internationally Exhibited Painter Will Create New Large-Scale Work and Collaborate with Local Youth on a Community Mural
Academy Art Museum
EASTON, MD — Esteban del Valle, an internationally exhibited interdisciplinary artist whose large-scale paintings and murals are held in collections from Berlin to New Jersey, today begins a summer residency at the Academy Art Museum, working and living in Easton through June 2026. During his time on the Eastern Shore, del Valle will develop a new body of work using the historic Armory–the headquarters for Waterfowl Festival, as a working studio through a first-of-its-kind partnership. Additionally del Valle will collaborate with Talbot Mentors on a community mural with local youth—a permanent public legacy that will outlast the residency itself.
“The waterfowl festival organization is excited to partner with the museum and open our doors to this wonderful community collaboration," said Deena Kilmon, Executive Director, Waterfowl Festival.
The residency includes four free public programs: an artist lecture on May 14 (6–7 p.m.); a First Friday Open Studio on June 5 (5–7 pm.); participation in the Museum’s Juneteenth Celebration on June 20 (12–4 p.m.); and a hands on plein air workshop, “A Million Leaves!” on June 27–28. Full details, descriptions, and registration for all programs are available at academyartmuseum.org/artist-in-residence-esteban-del-valle.
Academy Art Museum
Del Valle, originally from Chicago and trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, is known for paintings and murals that move fluidly between figuration and abstraction, blending drawing, color, and gesture. His work—rooted in Chicago’s graffiti culture and shaped by an autobiographical, satirical lens—has been exhibited internationally and is held in major collections including Urban Nation in Berlin and the Zimmerli Art Museum.
The youth mural collaboration with Talbot Mentors is a central pillar of the residency, bringing del Valle’s expertise in large-scale public art directly into the Easton community. The work will remain as a installation after the residency concludes.
“Talbot Mentors is thrilled to partner with AAM, the Waterfowl Festival and Esteban to create an artistic representation of the deep community connections we value so greatly,” said Kentavius Jones, Executive Director, Talbot Mentors.
Public Programs
Artist Lecture — Thursday, May 14, 2026 | 6 p.m.
Del Valle opens his residency with a public talk tracing his creative journey—from Chicago graffiti to international exhibitions—and offering an early preview of the work he will develop in Easton. Free and open to the public.
Register: academyartmuseum.org/lecture-aam-2026-artist-in-residence-esteban-del-valle
First Friday Open Studio — Friday, June 5, 2026 | 5–7 p.m.
In coordination with Discover Easton’s First Friday Gallery Walk, visitors are invited into del Valle’s working studio to observe his practice in real time and engage with the artist directly. Free and open to the public.
More information: academyartmuseum.org/open-studio-esteban-del-valle
Juneteenth Celebration — Saturday, June 20, 2026 | 12–4 p.m.
Del Valle participates in the Museum’s annual Juneteenth Celebration, connecting his residency work and community collaboration to this important occasion. Free and open to the public.
More information: academyartmuseum.org/juneteenth-celebration-in-partnership-with-the-hill-community/
Workshop: A Million Leaves! — June 27–28, 2026
The residency concludes with a plein air painting workshop led by del Valle, offering participants a hands-on opportunity to create outdoors alongside the artist. Registration and details at academyartmuseum.org.
To register: academyartmuseum.org/a-million-leaves-a-plein-air-workshop/
About the Artist-in-Residence Program
The Academy Art Museum’s Artist-in-Residence program has undergone a meaningful transformation in recent years. Earlier iterations brought distinguished visiting artists to Easton for exhibitions, lectures, and public programs—valuable exchanges, but necessarily brief. The current model takes a different view: that the most significant creative and community impact comes not from a visit, but from a true residency. This summer’s six-week structure reflects that philosophy, giving del Valle the time and space for sustained research, genuine community immersion, and the development of substantial new work.
The partnership with the Waterfowl Festival deepens that commitment further. By providing del Valle with active working studio space—the first time the Armory facilities have been used in this way—the collaboration opens a new avenue for cross-institutional partnership on the Eastern Shore, and signals what this program can look like when the wider community becomes a co-participant in the creative process.
The 2026 residency is made possible through the generous support of Mary Ann Schindler, with partnership from the Waterfowl Festival, and in collaboration with Talbot Mentors.
