Public Art Staff

Arlington’s Public Art Program is administered by Arlington Cultural Affairs, a Division of Arlington Economic Development. Staff are Public Art Administrator Angela A. Adams and Public Art Project Managers Deirdre Ehlen and Tomora Wright.  For general inquiries, you may contact Tomora Wright at twright1@arlingtonva.us or 703-228-3771.

Angela Anderson Adams, Public Art Administrator

Angela Anderson Adams has worked as a curator and arts administrator for over 30 years, half of those directing Arlington Public Art. Under her leadership Arlington Public Art has grown from being one of the first developer-sponsored programs in the country to an internationally renowned, award-winning public and privately funded program. The program contributes art and design enhancements to most major civic projects undertaken in the County. Prior to working for Arlington County, Adams served as Adjunct Curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., and Exhibitions Director/Curator for the Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA.  She holds a B.A. in Art History from the College of Wooster, Ohio, and a M.A. in the History of Art from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Email                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Deirdre Ehlen, Public Art Project Manager

As part of Arlington Public Art since 2011, Deirdre Ehlen has developed and managed County-initiated projects and advised on various public art and design enhancement requests. Previously, Deirdre worked as Public Art Coordinator for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and for Weitzman Studios in Brentwood, MD. Deirdre also works independently on creative projects and initiatives. In 2014, she was a project manager for Finding a Line, working with local artist and skateboarder Ben Ashworth and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the curator for Georgetown GLOW public art exhibition, the curator for Hickok Cole’s Art Night and curator and project manager for four sculptures by Foon Sham located within Golden Triangle. She also directs Mid City Artists, a group of professional artists who have come together to promote their art and the mid-city section of DC. Email                                                     

Tomora Wright, Public Art Project Manager

Tomora Wright is a dedicated arts manager and curator committed to advancing the contemporary art field by prioritizing intersectional representation and diversifying program and engagement strategies within art institutions. She holds a master's degree in Art Management from American University and a BA in Communications. Before joining Arlington County Public Art, she worked as the Marketing Manager at Prince George's African American Museum and Cultural Center, Glen Echo Park's Visual Arts Exhibition Manager, both in Maryland, and most recently served as Fellowship Director at Hamiltonian Artists. Wright has curated exhibitions in the DC region at Prince George's African American Museum and Cultural Center (2018), College Park, Maryland's MilkBoy ArtHouse (2018), Banneker– Douglass Museum (2020), Higgins Gallery (2020), Glen Echo Park (2019–2021), Hamiltonian Gallery (2021), BlackRock Center Center for the Arts, The Kreeger Museum (2022).

Tomora has lived and worked in the DMV as an arts manager since 2017 and continues her efforts to support the arts ecosystem across the region. Email