Back in May I had the honor of interviewing the glamorous and very accomplished Robyne Robinson. Robyne is a creative powerhouse for positive social change, a champion of the arts and of her community. She lived in my hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota for over 20 years, where she was an Emmy-winning news broadcaster before becoming a creative entrepreneur.

Robyne has done so many incredible things across several different fields. I don’t want to risk leaving anything out in my introduction, so here’s a bit from the ‘About’ section on Robyne’s website for her public art consulting company, five by five:

“Robyne has had a commanding presence in the Minnesota Arts community as an entrepreneur, advocate, journalist, designer and consultant.

During her tenure as Art Director and fiveXfive Consultant at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Minnesota received more than $5 million in art commissions for performances, displays and art installations created by Minnesota and Upper Midwest artists. Her curation work in public, performance and visual arts garnered praise from The New York Times, Forecast Public Art and from International travel bloggers, who in 2017 proclaimed MSP Terminal 2 One of the 12 Most Beautiful Terminals in the World because of her focus on promoting local and regional artists.

Robyne created an Emmy-winning platform for Minnesota Arts during her years as a TV news anchor-reporter that garnered interest from news outlets like the BBC and Variety. She also made financial education and business development in the arts one of her key initiatives as a 2010 candidate for Lt. Governor of Minnesota.

She owned and curated flatland, an award-winning contemporary art gallery featured in esteemed art publications such as Art News and Juxtapoz. She also created Exhibit, a curatorial collaborative that also sponsored microloans to artists.

Robyne has served on numerous arts boards including the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and the Minnesota Museum of American Art, where she served as Board Chair. She is also a University of Minnesota Hubert Humphrey Public Policy Fellow, who traveled to New Zealand and Australia with the Humphrey Institute to participate in national talks on reparations to the Indigenous people of both countries.

Robyne has been a respected jewelry designer for more than a decade. Her ROX Jewelry line is sold by shopping networks, major department stores and museums such as the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Plains Art Museum, Lewis Museum of Maryland, the Walker and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Robyne is also a freelance writer for Artful Living and Art of the West Magazine.”

So, Robyne is a force to be reckoned with. I’m so excited to share our conversation with you today, where you’ll get to learn more about Robyne’s life and many of her projects, in particular her public art consulting firm, five by five.

How you can get in touch with Robyne:

Her email: robyne@fivexfiveart.com

Her website: Fivexfiveart.com

She’s on Instagram as @fivexfiveartpublicartconsultants

Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/fivexfivepublicartconsultants/?hl=en

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@fivexfivepublicartconsultants?xmt=AQF0aLBNYZnAR5cmEc_H994VNUoAmW554u-ZEDHgX2gkq-I

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fivexfivepublicart

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@robynerobinson6974

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Music from the album, INTERVALO by @kevtomas