About me
Aaron Maybin is a Contemporary Artist, Educator, Community Activist, and former professional football player from Baltimore City, Maryland.
Selected as the 11th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills as a former All-American defensive end at Penn State University. Aaron went on to play in the NFL for the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals in a 5-year career before deciding to walk away from football to pursue a career as a professional artist, activist, author, educator, and community organizer.
ESPN, CBS, Fox, and HBO have extensively covered his transition from full-time NFL superstar to full-time artist and philanthropist. His art, photography, and writing have been exhibited in Galleries and museums across the country and internationally, examining many socially relevant themes and issues from his experiences as a pro athlete and growing up as a young Black man in Baltimore. Aaron uses his public platform and artistic voice to advocate for racial and economic equality, arts education, and recreational youth programming in underprivileged communities nationwide.
In 2009, Aaron started his grassroots work and philanthropy in Baltimore to provide personal and economic aid, helping underprivileged and at-risk youth excel beyond their current conditions. Through his work as a philanthropist and teacher, Aaron has implemented art workshops and curricula in many Schools in the Baltimore City area that have had budget cuts due to a lack of funding. He teaches creative arts and literacy in Baltimore City, created his Art Activism Curriculum (now being taught in several Baltimore City Schools), and Co-founded the Operation Heat Campaign, raising over $ 90,000 for schools struggling with heating issues in the wintertime. He also partnered with Torrey and Chanel Smith to re-open the Hilton Rec Center in West Baltimore in 2021.
Aaron is a Fox45 Martin Luther King Jr. Champion of Courage Award recipient, a Baltimore Arts Realty Corporation executive board member, and a member of the Civilian Review Board in Baltimore City. As an Artist, activist, and educator, He continues to advocate for public policy to see Art programs restored in schools and provide more economic opportunities for the underprivileged people of Baltimore.
