bio
Akio Evans
Fine Artist | Shoe Muralist | Creative Director | Filmmaker
Akio Evans is a Baltimore based multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, designer, educator, and storyteller whose work brings together history, culture, identity, and personal experience. Known as “The Shoe Muralist,” Evans has established a distinctive creative voice that extends beyond footwear into fine art, fashion, film, and immersive storytelling.
Through his studio, Hearts and Heroes, he creates original paintings, wearable art, custom sneakers, and commissioned pieces that celebrate Black culture, honor influential figures, and explore the stories shaping his hometown and the world around it. His work often draws inspiration from figures such as Harriet Tubman, Billie Holiday, and Colin Kaepernick, connecting their legacies to contemporary conversations about freedom, resilience, and representation.
His creations have reached influential figures across entertainment, music, sports, and culture, including Dr. Dre, Donnell Rawlings, Dave Chappelle, Usher, Janet Jackson, Lena Waithe, Marlon Wayans, Muggsy Bogues, and Allen Iverson. His work has also appeared in connection with productions including HBO’s We Own This City, Apple TV’s Swagger, Hulu’s Grown-ish, and Peacock’s Bel-Air.
Evans brings that same commitment to storytelling to his work as a filmmaker. His projects include Grace After Midnight Pain, which centers on the life of actress Felicia “Snoop” Pearson and received a Baltimore City citation, as well as the documentary in development How Baltimore Saved the Air Force 1, exploring the city’s influence on one of the most iconic sneakers in the world.
His work has been featured by PBS, Baltimore Magazine, The Baltimore Banner, and WMAR. Through exhibitions, workshops, collaborations, and custom commissions, Evans continues to create experiences that invite audiences to see art as more than an object. For him, it is a way to preserve history, spark conversation, and make meaningful connections.
Whether painting a sneaker, designing a garment, directing a film, or transforming his studio into an immersive experience, Akio Evans creates with a clear purpose: to honor the stories that shape us and ensure they continue to be seen, heard, and remembered.
AKIO EVANS
World Renown Artist Shoe Murals Cultural Preservation
wjz/cbs segment
How Akio got his start Muralizing/Creating Display 1of1 Art for production companies and Entertainers
FOX BALTIMORE
Behind the shoe muralist and the creation of the Commemorative Memorabilia Collectors Art
timberland workshop collab
As if partnerships with Marvel, Converse, and HBO Max weren’t enough, Baltimore artist Akio Evans is now working with Timberland to bring an immersive design workshop to some of Baltimore’s teens.
shoe murals
Marty Bass checks in with local art shoe muralist Akio Evans