About

Keir Johnston is a community practice public art creator who has spent more than two decades elevating social issues that impact communities of Color through public art. He painted his first mural as a teenager while a student at California State University at Northridge, an experience that fostered an appreciation for the collaborative creative process as well as public art’s ability to affect viewers from all walks of life. Johnston has helped guide diverse populations – including incarcerated youth, prisoners serving life sentences, elderly groups, elementary and high school students, and those with disabilities – in mural production, and has worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia to create Colorful Legacy, Remembering a Forgotten Hero and The Color of Your Voice. A founding member of Amber Art & Design, Johnston has served as the artist-in-residence for The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The National Museum of American Jewish History, Mural Arts Philadelphia, The Village of Arts and Humanities, and University of Chicago’s Place Lab and Living Arts of Tulsa, among others. In 2019, Johnston took part in a 114-mile walk across Puerto Rico. The “learning journey,” titled Sin Cita, offered members of Amber Art & Design an opportunity to gather feedback and refine the collective’s approaches to driving positive change through art.

Linda Fernandez is an educator and advocate for arts and education in public spaces. In 2018 she received an award for her research on “The Role of Artists in Anti-Displacement” which investigates trends in neighborhood change and places artists in the role of community organizers working to prevent physical and cultural displacement. Linda’s artistic practice is rooted in collaboration. Her work involves coordinating the creative exchange of messages, artwork and personal artifacts between people across physical, social and cultural divides. As a result, interactions through exchange create solidarity, unity and a sense of belonging which are important human needs. These collaborative works bring a diversity of voices, ideas and dreams to the table. Linda has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Tyler School of Art, a certificate in Contemporary Art from Metafora Escola de Arte Contemporaneo in Barcelona, Spain, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs. She is an alumni of National Urban Fellows and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute’s Intercultural Advocacy Fellowship.

Charles Barbin received his BA from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art where he studied in both Philadelphia and Temple Rome, Italy. After graduating he joined the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and has been involved both in education and creating public art in the city of Philadelphia for the past fifteen years. He is a founding member of Amber Art and Design, whose goal is to create meaningful public art and innovative approaches to community projects that consistently transcend, and whose values are defined by collaboration and public engagement, believing that public art enriches communities and is a pathway to fulfillment. This has led to working on the production of murals in penitentiaries, youth detention centers, in elementary and high schools, with the disabled, elderly, other artists, and general public through teaching workshops and painting participation days. In addition exists the commitment to a hands-on approach that links visual art with other disciplines such as music, dance, poetry, and performance.

Willis “Nomo” Humphrey was Born in Biloxi, Mississippi and graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta, and trained as a graphic designer. Throughout his time as a staff artist of the Mural Arts Program and as a founder of Amber Art and Design, Willis has worked with many Philadelphian neighborhoods and communities to fabricate murals that commemorate the lives and history of African Americans. In his work, Willis articulated inner freedom through outward expression. His body of work spans the city from playgrounds to senior centers, schools, and recreation centers; most notable are Staircases and Mountaintops: Ascending Beyond the Dream at the MLK Recreation Center, Colorful Legacy: Building Brotherhood in West Philadelphia, and Remembering a Forgotten Hero: Octavius Catto at the Universal Institute Charter School in South Philadelphia. Willis passed away in November 2018 and is deeply missed by the Philadelphian art community, and by those he has impacted through his community engagement and mural projects and initiatives.

Juliana Flower is an art lover and amateur musician with 30 years of experience on the administrative side of arts organizations and small businesses. She currently provides bookkeeping services for artists and small organizations, does tax preparation for artists, and does some grant writing. She holds a BA from Swarthmore College and an MA in History of Art from Bryn Mawr College.

Laila Islam is a curator and multidisciplinary artist in Philadelphia. Islam graduated from Moore College of Art and Design with a BFA in Curatorial Studies and minors Fine Arts and Photoraphy. Islam identifies as a curator committed to artistic community engagement and radical healing. Their passion to intersect curation with community mobilization is reflected in their work as co-curator and collective organizer of The Future Is Us Collective.