So much of Dawn Moore’s childhood in Queens, New York, was defined by the arts.

Back then, Maryland’s future first lady was Dawn Flythe, an aspiring teenage dancer raised on Motown hits. Her mother, a music teacher, sang at weddings in a band with her drummer father. On special occasions, the family headed to Broadway for shows.

“I was actually raised in the arts, so I’m not even sure if I had a choice,” Moore said with a smile earlier this month.

This love and enthusiasm has followed Moore to Government House, the historic Annapolis residence where she lives with her husband, Gov. Wes Moore, and their two children, James and Mia.

Previous administrations have added their own personal touches to the Georgian-style country house, which opened in 1870 — like former first lady Yumi Hogan, a Maryland Institute College of Art alumna who hung her own contemporary paintings in the home, and Gov. Martin O’Malley, who installed the first bust of a Black American, Harriet Tubman.

Now it has been Dawn Moore’s turn. She’s led recent efforts to transform the governor’s mansion into what she calls “the People’s House” — a home that welcomes Marylanders of all genders and backgrounds.

Naturally, decor has played a major part in the changes. Moore, 50, aimed to infuse the house with modernity while honoring its history as the home of governors and their families for more than 150 years.

Moore worked with the Maryland State Archives, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum and collectors to select pieces on loan that better reflect Maryland’s diverse population — an initiative with personal meaning for the matriarch of the state’s only Black first family.

“At the crux of it, representation matters,” she said. “We wanted to bring more women artists in here. We wanted to bring more artists of color.”

Moore encourages the public to visit the Government House, whether on reserved tours (email info@fpghmd.org to request one) or periodic open houses. In that spirit, The Banner paid a visit with Moore, who walked us through her additions to the home’s art collection. These are some of the highlights.

One of Moore’s ‘favorite pieces’

When visitors first enter the State Dining Room, they often say, “Oh my gosh, I love this wallpaper,” Moore said.

In actuality, it’s a hand-painted mural on canvas sections.

The narrative artwork, completed in 2024, encompasses the story of Maryland’s history. Moore and Baltimore artist David Wiesand worked closely together, planning out the design — based on images provided by the Maryland State Archives — at the dining room table.

Moore’s vision was a large-scale painting filled with Maryland history, including often-overlooked contributors like indigenous people, oystermen and trailblazing women like Harriet Tubman and Billie Holiday. It also pays respect to last year’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

“We wanted to honor that moment, and so hopefully people will feel like we’ve done that,” she said, pointing to the south wall, where an oriole overlooks a standing Key Bridge.

Wiesand, founder of the interior design studio McLain Wiesand, said in a statement that his job was to bring the “disparate components together,” a job made easier by Moore’s clear direction.

“Dawn’s passion for this mural, the subject matter, the message she wanted to convey, and the overall ‘look’ of the finished product were very much set by her,” Wiesand said.

“It’s one of the favorite pieces of art that I feel somewhat responsible for,” Moore said.

Beyond paintings

The governor’s own taste reminds Moore that context and perspective can unlock deeper appreciation for art. A fan of black-and-white photography, he regularly wants to know the stories and meanings behind the works he enjoys, Moore said.

“That’s why people love meeting artists because they connect to the artists, and then you almost love the art even more,” she said.

Last month offered the latest example, when the Puerto Rican-American ceramicist Roberto Lugo gave an artist talk at Government House about his work, including “Four Centuries,” located in the corner of the conservatory. The eye-catching vase, on loan from the BMA, reimagines a 19th-century container as an unflinching lesson in U.S. history with references to the industrial prison complex and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“This piece, it just spoke to us because he does so much work around social justice,” said Moore, who plans to host more artist talks at Government House. “It’s a play on a very classic piece, but then he incorporates Frederick Douglass and graffiti and protesting.”

Lugo’s vase sits next to a 1939 Baldwin baby grand piano and bench once owned by opera legend Rosa Ponselle. It’s on loan from the Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute.

For Moore, who is also on Baltimore Center Stage’s board of trustees, these objects are examples of vital art that doesn’t exist on canvas.

“I consider so many things to be art,” she said. “Like, how beautiful is this piano?”

Affinity for color

It’s easy, though, to get lost in heady art analysis. There’s a lot to be said about just surrounding yourself with objects that bring joy and pleasure to the everyday.

Art “really is what your heart loves,” Moore said. “So one reason why I love color is because it makes me happy.”

No wonder, then, Moore made sure to dot Government House with bursts of inviting color — like “Woman in Interior,” a gorgeous portrait by the late artist and University of Maryland educator David C. Driskell, and framed quilt prints based on inventive patterns designed by freed slaves. A private living room, unseen by the public, houses a brightly painted series of Black swimmers and pool accessories by Baltimore native Derrick Adams.

Then there’s “Evening Glow,” Alma W. Thomas’ 1972 acrylic painting that serves as the drawing room’s focal point. The late Washington, D.C., teacher-turned-artist’s work is “stunning” because of its vibrant primary colors and Thomas’ “characteristic dotted brushstroke,” said Asma Naeem, the BMA’s director.

Moore worked closely with Naeem to pick which pieces Government House would borrow from the BMA, including a number of conversations that continually whittled down the selections.

“It was incredibly collaborative,” Naeem said. “She has an exquisite eye. She has an insatiable curiosity, and she has a heartwarming mission.”

For Moore, the goal of making art more interesting and accessible for all Marylanders starts at Government House, a place she hopes more Marylanders will visit and see as theirs. She loves the reactions she often hears from first-time visitors — a sign that the new art is doing its job.

“They’ll say, ‘Oh, it feels so tranquil in here,’” Moore said. “There’s a lot of noise outside, so we want you to feel a sense of peace and calm. We want you to feel happy.”