He's a giant, and not just because he stands six feet eight inches. For more than a decade, Addonis Parker, owner of Art Forever Studios in Liberty City, Miami has concentrated on improving the world through paint and brush.

From teaching art to at-risk youth, to completing large-scale mural commissions (such as his 55-foot-tall sunset on a public housing project), to participating in museum shows that celebrate black history and culture, Parker is a man on a mission to "do something historical."

Over the decades, Addonis has won a litany of commendations.

• In 1991 he was written into the history books, included in Who's Who in American Art, a biographical hardcover directory of noteworthy individuals in the visual arts community in the United States, the reference standards in the field of art.
• In 1998 the Atlanta Artist Club named Addonis Artist of the Year.
• In 2003 he was again named Artist of the Year by Miami’s Liberty City Cultural Affairs organization.
• In 2005, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz awarded Addonis the Community Icon Award. The African Heritage Cultural Arts Center awarded Addonis both the Impact Award and the People’s Choice Awards.
• In 2010, Mayor of Miami Gardens, Shirley Gibson honored Addonis by selecting him to design the 2010 Jazz In the Gardens festival poster.
• In 2015, Adonis received the Recognition Award for Black History Role Models of Excellence by Miami’s Office of the Mayor.  The same year, Addonis was recognized in Legacy Gala Honoree Magazine as one of the “50 Most Powerful & Influential Black Professionals in Business & Industry''
• In 2019, Addonis received the African-American Achievers Award Award.

Addonis continues to create art and empower the community through youth artist and development programs.

To learn more about Addonis you can visit his website

• www.addonisparker.com

Follow his socials

• @AddonisParker on Instagram
• @Addonisp on Twitter
• Click here to join Addonis’ Inner City Artist Exchange discord