Robyne Walker Murphy - Social Justice Rooted in Love! Ancestry, Art, Culture, & Activism

Join Janice Gilyard and Cherekana Feliciano for our conversation/interview with Robyne Walker Murphy.Robyne is a nationally recognized art and social justice thought leader and cultural strategist. From2016-2022, Robyne served as the Executive Director at Groundswell, a social justice youthdevelopment program that uses the transformative power of public art-making to ignite personaland societal change. Before her position at Groundswell, Robyne held positions at the NationalGuild for Community Arts Education and Dreamyard where she served as the director of theDreamYard Art Center in the Bronx. Under her leadership, DreamYard Art Center was recognizedby the Obama White House as one of the top programs in the nation. Since stepping down fromGroundswell, Robyne has worked as an arts and cultural strategist and consultant for organizationssuch as the Ford Foundation, The Cricket Island Foundation, and The Billie Holiday Theatre.Currently, she is the Leadership Strategist and Curriculum Developer for the Brooklyn ArtsLeadership Collaborative, an initiative of the Brooklyn Museum and the Joe and Clara Tsai SocialJustice Fund, which aims to support the work of eight Black and Brown-led arts organizations withbudgets under 500K.Robyne has conducted workshops and delivered keynotes at conferences andinstitutions across the country on art and social activism at institutions such as Harvard University,Lincoln Center, Seattle Art Museum, University of Chicago, American University, and many others.She is a member of New York City’s Cultural Advisory Committee, a Metropolitan Museum of ArtWomen’s History Month Honoree, and Chair of the Board of Directors of 651ARTS. Robynegraduated from Clark Atlanta University (B.A. in English) and the University of Washington, Seattle(MFA, Acting). She resides in Brooklyn with her husband, Tarik Murphy, and her son, Ras.