About Me

Visual Artist

I am a creative working in both public art and the studio. My art practice involves building cultural narratives through relational aesthetics.

My work aims to foster dialogue and collective discovery blending the artistic process and long-term civic meaning. I studied painting at Wayne State and received an MFA from Texas Christian University in 1995 where I focused on creative approaches.

Anitra Blayton portrait

Experience

Anitra Blayton is an experienced Fort Worth–based artist with 27 years of public art experience, including the management of project budgets of up to $250,000. She is recognized for creating impactful, site-responsive, large-scale works that transform civic spaces while offering fresh perspectives on community identity, history, and place.

Blayton has completed major public art commissions throughout North Texas, working with Fort Worth Public Art, the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and other civic and cultural partners. Her most recent permanent work, Sipping from the Wetland (2025), was commissioned for Alliance Park and developed in collaboration with Arts Fort Worth and local community partners. Her most notable work, Standing Ovation, is permanently installed at DFW International Airport. Other significant projects include the Lake Como Public Art Master Plan, Kidd 24/7, work with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and The Endangered. Across these projects, her practice is grounded in placemaking and in exploring how art can reflect community narratives, encourage connection, and activate the built environment.

Alongside her public art practice, Blayton creates layered mixed-media installations that explore what she describes as "othering." Through this work, she searches for common denominators within human experience—ways in which "we," "them," "they," and "us" can begin to recognize ourselves in one another. Her work considers difference not simply as separation, but as an opportunity to examine shared experiences, perceptions, and relationships.

In 2025, Blayton was invited by Arts Fort Worth to participate in a public discussion exploring the intersection of design, public engagement, and placemaking. Presented in partnership with Keith House, the panel celebrated the Lake Como public artwork Do Something Good for Your Neighbor and its inclusion in PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity by RDG Planning & Design at the U.S. Pavilion of the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Blayton has also presented publicly on art, placemaking, and community engagement. Publications featuring her work and ideas include Creative Conversation: Explores Art's Role in Placemaking (2017) and New Exhibit on Public Art Takes Flight (2013). Her work will be included in the upcoming exhibit, "These Walls Speak" at the Fort Worth African American Museum and Cultural Center.