Upshot of illuminated night view of "Tree of Life" Brightview West End, Rockville MD

Illuminated night view of final installation, "Tree of Life" at Brightview West End Senior Living in Rockville, Maryland

As part of the development of the "Tree of Life" artwork, Art at Large executed a call for entries with VisArts Rockville and all Brightview Senior Living facilities across the northeast to collect life-affirming imagery from artists of all backgrounds. Comport concurrently juried the entries for inclusion in the final art piece, as well as curating and producing a gallery exhibition at VisArts to showcase the diversity of voices to be included.

The Tree of Life is made up of 173 24-inch by 24-inch art panels, incorporating art produced by 62 artists of diverse backgrounds. The "Tree" is bejeweled with various symbols reflecting positive life-affirming imagery. This detail shows one of the 173 art panels.

The Tree of Life is made up of 173 24-inch by 24-inch art panels, incorporating art produced by 62 artists of diverse backgrounds. The "Tree" is bejeweled with various symbols reflecting positive life-affirming imagery. This detail shows one of the 173 art panels.

The Tree of Life is made up of 173 24-inch by 24-inch art panels, incorporating art produced by 62 artists of diverse backgrounds. The "Tree" is bejeweled with various symbols reflecting positive life-affirming imagery. This detail shows a collection of 5 of the 173 art panels.

This image illustrates Tubman's resourcefulness and ability to survive in the elements as she forages for food.

Harriet Tubman singing at the gate as she makes her first escape of many from a life of enslavement. An illustrated mural for National Park Service Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge Maryland.

Exhibit View Detail. Harriet Tubman singing at the gate as she makes her first escape of many from a life of enslavement. An illustrated mural for National Park Service Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge Maryland.

Illustrated backdrop of a chaotic scene from the Combahee River Raid, the first U.S. military operation to be led by a woman, Tubman.

These back-lit stained-glass-esque images represented the seasons of Tubman's life and her oneness with nature as visitors exited the exhibition.

These back-lit stained-glass-esque images represented the seasons of Tubman's life and her oneness with nature as visitors exited the exhibition.

The sounds of the Recycled Orchestra carry through the town as the gancheros head home from a hard days work.

Ada of Cateura, a community built on a landfill, dreams of the treasures that could be hidden within the heap of trash.

Cola, a ganchero and craftsman in town, tinkers in his shop to replicate the instruments with recycled materials.

Ada transcends the bounds of her troubled environment when she experiences playing the violin

The Recycled Orchestra travels the world, performing for international audiences of massive scale.

A team of artists lead by ArtWalk curator and Principal of Art at Large, Inc. Sally Wern Comport work collaboratively to execute the crosswalk design representing Annapolis, the first capital city of the U.S.

An "action shot" of the ArtWalk team at work

The crosswalk design incorporated three circular "canvasses" to designate the crosswalk points of entry, featuring works of local Arts District professionals. Sally Comport's abstracted map of the neighborhood is one of three designs.

Comport's design for the art installation included flower pots painted by art students of Studio 39 at each of the three crosswalk entrances.

Design plan virtual of proposed ArtWalk crosswalk

Comport has received a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators for "Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground". About Zora & Me: A powerful fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston’s childhood adventures explores the idea of collective memory and the lingering effects of slavery. “History ain’t in a book, especially when it comes to folks like us. History is in the lives we lived and the stories we tell each other about those lives.” When Zora Neale Hurston and her best friend, Carrie Brown, discover that the town mute can speak after all, they think they’ve uncovered a big secret. But Mr. Polk’s silence is just one piece of a larger puzzle that stretches back half a century to the tragic story of an enslaved girl named Lucia. As Zora’s curiosity leads a reluctant Carrie deeper into the mystery, the story unfolds through alternating narratives. Lucia’s struggle for freedom resonates through the years, threatening the future of America’s first incorporated black township — the hometown of author Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960). In a riveting coming-of-age tale, award-winning author T. R. Simon champions the strength of a people to stand up for justice.

Racial duplicity threatens an idyllic African American community in the turn-of-the-century South in a dazzling debut inspired by the early life of Zora Neale Hurston. Whether she’s telling the truth or stretching it, Zora Neale Hurston is a riveting storyteller. Her latest creation is a shape-shifting gator man who lurks in the marshes, waiting to steal human souls. But when boastful Sonny Wrapped loses a wrestling match with an elusive alligator named Ghost — and a man is found murdered by the railroad tracks soon after — young Zora’s tales of a mythical evil creature take on an ominous and far more complicated complexion, jeopardizing the peace and security of an entire town and forcing three children to come to terms with the dual-edged power of pretending. Zora’s best friend, Carrie, narrates this coming-of-age story set in the Eden-like town of Eatonville, Florida, where justice isn’t merely an exercise in retribution, but a testimony to the power of community, love, and pride. A fictionalization of the early years of a literary giant, this astonishing novel is the first project ever to be endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust that was not authored by Hurston herself.

As part of ArtWalk's citywide Annapolis Charter 300 project, Comport installed this illustration as a public art piece representing Annapolis's industrial history.

A view of the Seton value wall installed in the renovated library's lounge area.

A deconstructed representation of the school logo and a statement of values was designed for the library's feature wall.

Comport utilized various glass treatments to design a divider wall for the library environment.

The library entrance was enhanced with an illuminated installation representing the Seton identity and value statements.

Comport designed and produced a donor recognition wall for the school to honor its gift-giving community.