When driving through Boston, you may notice graffiti murals on the sides of buildings, walls and tunnels. Many of these vibrantly-colored pieces can be traced back to one artist: Visiting Innovator Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs. Along with visiting the Lower and Middle Schools, Mr. Gibbs gave a presentation to the Upper School (US) during an assembly Feb. 10, describing the thought process and attention he put into each of his murals.
“That was eight years’ worth of a time put into that 20-25 minute presentation, and I wanted people to understand that the story I shared with them took time to build,” Mr. Gibbs said. “That’s only a piece — a small part that’s the surface to something that goes way deeper into my practice.”
Besides being an artist, Mr. Gibbs is a father and serves on an advisory board at his old Roxbury high school, Madison Park. His work conveys a message while being eye-catching, he said.
“There’s nothing wrong with a message looking well and having all the technical aspects locked down so that you can feel proud about what you gave a presentation on,” Mr. Gibbs said.
Through the Visiting Innovator Program, Mr. Gibbs visited all three campuses to speak about his work as a form of self-expression. The program was a gift from the Class of 2023 – each year, outside educators bring specific talents and passions to the school.
While the bulk of this year’s partnership has been centered around art, the program adapts to fit whoever the innovator is, Chief Learning Officer Jed Lippard, who runs the program, said.
“Given Rob’s background as an artist, his engagement with our community is different from Liza Talusan, last year’s visiting innovator.”
Dr. Lippard said the visiting innovators provide unique outside perspectives on issues that are relevant to students.
In addition to his appearance at assembly, Mr. Gibbs led a walking tour of public art in Roxbury attended by around 50 staff and community members. He also spoke at a professional development day, where he advised teachers on how to integrate art into their curricula.
US History Teacher Jack Hill, who attended one of his sessions, said the way Mr. Gibbs’s art speaks to the experiences of Black Americans is “extraordinary.”
“It’s a story of the lived experience,” Mr. Hill said. “It’s a story that represents the evolving of a people and how they are seen and experienced by the external world.”
Hosting a visiting innovator is essential to student growth, he said.
“It adds a multicultural layer of the mini experiences that our students bring to this community … and that includes Mr. Gibbs, right? Because he is bringing us a select style of voice to the community that all of our students can learn from.”
On March 13, Mr. Gibbs led a workshop with US English Teacher Alda Farlow’s AP English African American Literature class, teaching students how to convert emotions and identity into art.
Chloe Rankel ’26 said the project required thinking about who students were as people.
“He helped us to really dig deep and learn more about ourselves in a way but also really confront things that you wouldn’t usually talk about, especially with fears,” Chloe said. “And so, a lot of people, including me, had trouble really putting those thoughts on a piece of paper.”
After their extensive self-reflection, students used trees or flowers to represent aspects of their identities.
Mr. Gibbs gifted the school a collaborative art piece, which students across all three campuses contributed to. Filled with messages of inspiration and advice, the piece was unveiled at One School One World on April 26.
