Ryan Murray

Through the unflinching medium of spray paint stenciling, I unearth and examine 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. By utilizing repeated symbolism and autobiographical elements, my work not only seeks to address the reality and the reasons that people of color suffer in silence more than their white counterparts, but urges me to navigate my own upbringing as an African-American struggling with mental illness and raised in a predominantly white community. I am currently located in Springfield, Massachusetts and I am represented by Art for the Soul Gallery.

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Spring 2014

Upcoming:

The Other Art Fair Dallas
May 2020 (postponed, date TBD)

Creative Quarantine Springfield
January 2021

SOLO

Elms College Black Issues Summit & Honorarium
Elms College, Chicopee, MA
February 2020

Springfield City Library, Springfield, MA
September 2018

The Black Elephant in the Room
Living Art Studio, Northampton, MA
July 2018

SHARED

Art for the Soul Gallery, Springfield, MA
February 2020

Fresh Paint Springfield Artists Showcase
Art for the Soul Gallery, Springfield, MA
June 2019

Small Works Gallery
Gateway City Arts, Holyoke, MA
December 2019

Art Stop with Springfield Cultural Partnership
Valley Venture Mentors, Springfield, MA
May 2019

Something Old, Something New
Art for the Soul Gallery, Springfield, MA
December 2018

RAWPittsburgh Presents Paramount
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
August 2015