Ryan Murray

Ryan Murray, spray paint stencil artist and muralist, received his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014 and currently resides in western Massachusetts. He is currently represented by Art for the Soul Gallery. Through his work Ryan unearths and examines unsettling but important conversations about the stigma of mental illness, with the goal of normalizing the discussion and treatment of mental health in black communities.

To examine Black mental health is to examine the effect of events in both the past and present, socioeconomic factors, how patterns of suffering repeat themselves, and the burden of certain societal expectations.

Ryan utilizes repeated symbolism and autobiographical elements in order to address the reality and the reasons that people of color suffer in silence more than their white counterparts. Some of these works incorporate elements from photos taken during childhood, while others are derived from collages made during the artist’s therapy sessions.

Ryan is a recipient of grants from the Community Foundation of Western MA, Mass Cultural Council, and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. He has exhibited in numerous western MA locations, Pittsburgh PA, and even abroad in Florence, I...

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Spring 2014

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Bigger Than Me, Art for the Soul Gallery, Springfield, MA
2021 Easthampton City Arts Pop-Up Show, LOCAL Gallery, Easthampton, MA
2020 Elms College Black Issues Summit & Honorarium, Elms College, Chicopee, MA
2018 The Black Elephant in the Room, Living Art Studio, Northampton, MA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Into the New, Eastworks, Easthampton MA
2024 In Residence, Gallery A3, Amherst MA
2021 Homecoming: NHS Alumni Exhibition, APE Gallery, Northampton MA
2021 Creative Quarantine, Art for the Soul Gallery, Springfield, MA
2020 Celebrating History: Selections from the Gallery, Art for the Soul Gallery,
Springfield MA
2019 Fresh Paint Springfield Artists Showcase, Art for the Soul Gallery,
Springfield, MA
2019 Small Works Gallery at Gateway City Arts, Holyoke, MA
2019 Art Stop with Springfield Cultural Partnership, Valley Venture Mentors,
Springfield, MA
2018 Something Old, Something New, Art for the Soul Gallery, Springfield, MA
2015 RAWPittsburgh Presents Paramount, Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
2013 The Art Is In The Streets, outdoor exhibition, Florence, Italy