Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Eaton.
Hi Anthony, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Minnesota and mostly raised in Saint Paul. My late husband who was born in Hastings and I operated an art studio in Lowertown before deciding to move to Florida in 1997. Nearly thirty years later, we were living outside Dallas, Texas, when my husband lost a three-year battle with cancer in 2022.
Knowing that he was going to pass, I realized I needed a plan for what came next. That plan was to return to the city I have always considered home—Saint Paul. At the same time, I made the decision to leave my thirty-year career in Human Resources and reconnect with the arts. What started as a personal transition has evolved into a mission to help bring more art, creativity, and energy into downtown Saint Paul.
Today, I curate rotating art exhibits in vacant spaces throughout the downtown skyway system. Currently, I manage five exhibit spaces at Wells Fargo Place on the second and third levels, each featuring a different artist or themed exhibition. These installations benefit everyone involved. Building owners gain activated spaces that are no longer dark, empty storefronts. Artists receive highly visible exhibition opportunities without upfront costs. Visitors and downtown workers encounter unexpected moments of creativity as they move through the city.
Working closely with property management, I identify artists, design each installation, install the artwork, and handle promotion and marketing. Exhibits rotate approximately every ninety days to keep the spaces fresh and encourage repeat visits. Artists are not charged to participate. If work is sold, a small commission helps offset project expenses, allowing artists to focus on creating rather than worrying about the time and cost of doing everything themselves.
In addition to the existing exhibit spaces, I am currently working with Friends of the Skyway on an exciting initiative to bring even more art and cultural experiences into the downtown skyway system. The goal is to create projects that connect artists, businesses, property owners, and the public while encouraging people to explore the Skyway from end to end and discover downtown in new ways.
The first phase includes the Skyway Poetry Walk, a self-guided experience featuring poetry installations throughout the skyway system, connected through QR codes and storytelling. We are also launching a rotating artist video program that will showcase local artists and their work on digital screens throughout downtown buildings. I am also putting together an exhibit entitled, STP EST. 1854, celebrating the history of Saint Paul through archival images, stories, artwork, and interpretation that highlight the people, places, and events that shaped the city.
Together, these projects are designed to transform everyday spaces into places of discovery, create new opportunities for artists, support downtown businesses, and remind people that Saint Paul has a vibrant creative community worth exploring.
When I came back home I had a vision, and that vision continues to come to reality which says to me I am in the right place doing the right thing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. While many of the things I envisioned when I moved back to Saint Paul are becoming reality, I have also had to learn how to build a new life without my husband. Every success is bittersweet because I know this is exactly what he would have wanted for me, but I am doing it on my own.
The transition from the corporate world has been an adjustment as well. I worked continuously from the age of fifteen, including a thirty-year career in Human Resources, so stepping away from that structure and creating a life on my own terms took time. I had to find my rhythm again, figure out what I wanted my days to look like, and learn to trust myself in a completely different environment.
I have been fortunate to have an incredible network of friends who have supported and encouraged me throughout this journey. That support has made all the difference.
Of course, life does not stop simply because you are moving forward. About a year after returning to Saint Paul, one of our dearest friends—an extraordinarily talented photographer—passed away. Not long after that, my brother, who was only five years older than me, passed away as well. Those losses were difficult and served as reminders that grief is not something you move beyond; it is something you learn to carry.
Professionally, it has also taken time to reestablish myself in the arts community. After being away for so many years, I knew I would have to earn trust, prove that my ideas could work, and build a reputation through successful projects rather than promises. I expected that process, and there were certainly moments when progress felt slow. But over time the proof of concept became visible, relationships were built, and doors began to open.
Looking back, I would not say the journey has been easy, but it has been meaningful. The challenges have shaped the work I am doing today and reinforced my belief that art, community, and human connection have the power to transform both spaces and lives.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Although I had a very successful corporate career, I have always been an artist at heart.
In my early twenties, I taught myself how to draw and began doing portraiture. My husband, who was also an artist, rediscovered his passion for creating stained glass lamps, windows and a variety of things. We were both creative people and always found ways to make art a part of our lives.
In my mid-twenties, I began dressing store windows in Town Square and reactivating vacant spaces with themed displays and window designs. Looking back, it is interesting because what I am doing today in the downtown skyway system is really an extension of work I started more than thirty years ago.
Eventually, we decided to rent a studio in Lowertown where we could both create art together. The space also gave me room to store the props and materials I used for my window displays. What began as a practical solution grew into a thriving creative business, and we operated a successful studio for many years.
When we decided to move to Florida, we closed the studio with every intention of starting again once we got settled. But as they say, life had other plans, and it would be several years before either of us fully returned to making art. Eventually, though, creativity found its way back into our lives.
My interests evolved from portraiture into handmade cards and custom picture framing. My husband discovered pottery and immediately excelled at it, as if he had been working with clay his entire life. Before long, I joined him in the studio, working with slab clay to create ornaments, magnets, and other pieces. It became something we enjoyed doing together.
After about a decade, we were on the move again and eventually settled outside Dallas, Texas. Once we purchased a townhome, we once again created spaces where we could pursue our artistic interests. No matter where life took us, art always seemed to follow in some way or another.
I have had great opportunities as an artist from doing portraits, and murals, to what I am doing right now!
After my husband’s passing, I found myself reflecting on the creative life we had built together. Today, much of what I do is inspired by that shared journey. Through my exhibit work, writing, and efforts to create opportunities for other artists, I celebrate not only my own creativity but also his talent, encouragement, and belief in the importance of art. In many ways, the work I am doing now is a continuation of the life we built together.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Get involved in some kind of artist group or with an arts organization so you have access to things and other creatives. The most important thing to do as an artist is to connect and build relationships, not just a network, but real connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.espressotalks.com
