By Megan SaylesAFRO Enterprise Writermsayles@afro.com
The Baltimore Workplace of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) board of administrators appointed seasoned communications guide Robyn Murphy to turn out to be the group’s interim chair and CEO on Nov. 20. The board vote got here after BOPA and former CEO Rachel Graham, who solely took on the function in March 2024, agreed to half methods.
Murphy, a local of Edmondson Village, enters the group following months of economic challenges, the termination of BOPA’s contract with town of Baltimore and the resignation of eight board members. As interim CEO, she might be tasked with bettering BOPA’s relationship with town and the native arts group whereas the group searches for everlasting management.
“While you look throughout the nation and the world over, you perceive that there’s a lot that makes up metropolis life, and a number of it’s about high quality of life,” stated Murphy. “One of many issues that enhances high quality of life is equitable illustration of a metropolis’s residents on stage, in visible arts, as a part of the museum tradition and in stay theater.”
The AFRO linked with Murphy to debate her plans for getting BOPA again on observe. The responses beneath have been edited for size and readability.
AFRO: In mild of the current challenges BOPA has confronted, what made you need to tackle this function?
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Robyn Murphy (RM): If there’s one factor individuals learn about me, it’s the extent of affection I’ve for Baltimore– my metropolis. I’ve been lucky sufficient to be a stakeholder and philanthropist because it pertains to arts and tradition, and I firmly imagine that what we’re witnessing in Baltimore is a real renaissance. A society isn’t sturdy, full or full and not using a vibrant and sturdy arts and tradition panorama.
I’ve a number of opinions, and I speak rather a lot about what needs to be accomplished to construct up the humanities and tradition panorama to match the vitality of this renaissance that’s taking place in Baltimore. I speak sport, so when requested, I’ve to stroll it like I speak it.
AFRO:Now that BOPA is not a quasi-government company, what’s going to its future appear like?
There’s nonetheless a major quantity of engagement with Baltimore Metropolis. I used to be capable of stand subsequent to the mayor as he introduced the festivals that might be taking place in Baltimore in 2025. Whereas BOPA won’t be producing Artscape or directing the pageant itself, it’ll have a robust and sturdy function associated to the humanities and propping and curating the artists for it. That is actually necessary and what BOPA needs to be targeted on within the first place.
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Along with that, I’ve additionally been working actually intently with the mayor’s workplace on rebuilding the connection with town. Don’t rely BOPA out but as a metropolis associate transferring ahead.
AFRO: What are your priorities for BOPA within the new yr?
RM: There are a myriad of issues that I’m engaged on to set the group up for achievement in 2025 and means past that, and a number of that’s restructuring and reorganizing. The group has a lot to present to artists and to town, however the construction that it was present underneath was not a sustainable construction. My greatest job is to reframe, reset, set it up for achievement and hand it off to a CEO that isn’t coming into a corporation in flux.
AFRO: How do you propose to make sure BOPA generally is a supply of help for Baltimore’s Black artists and creatives?
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RM: Arts fairness is my factor. I’ve seemed on the construction of organizations earlier than which have institutionally marginalized individuals of coloration in illustration, in grant-making and in organizations receiving a disproportionate quantity of funding for the humanities. Anyone that is aware of me is aware of that that won’t occur with me. It’s paramount to me that the way in which arts present up in Baltimore is a mirrored image of everybody, from Park Heights to Roland Park.
