In 2008, Jean Maginnis was thinking about how to create a think tank to advance creative innovation in her home state of Maine, when a literal tank gave her an idea. Sprague Energy's giant white fuel storage tanks that line the Portland harbor represent traditional industry, but were also, she realized, huge blank canvases for creative expression. This idea launched both the nonprofit Maine Center for Creativity and the Art All Around competition, in which nearly 600 artists from 80 countries submitted designs to paint the 16 tanks.
Image: Jean Maginnis
