Months of anxiety, uncertainty and unrest are making their mark on Martha’s Vineyard artists.

A recent uptick in coronavirus cases has largely come from young, asymptomatic Islanders, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital officials said Wednesday.

Kneeling in the circular nave of Union Chapel, artist-in-residence Kevin Sampson worked on his latest community sculpture, drawing inspiration from African American folklore and the Black Lives Matter movement.

With Reciprocity, her new show at Kara Taylor Gallery in Chilmark, the artist explores timely themes of race and ecology in a series of paintings.

Several galleries in the Oak Bluffs Arts District stayed open late on Saturday, welcoming visitors until 7 p.m. in the first arts stroll of the summer. And while the neighborhood was generally quiet, the galleries’ artwork seemed even more vibrant and essential than ever.