Full Breakdown
Blu Murphy Uses Art to Celebrate Students and Confront Redlining in Washington, D.C.
8/14/2026, 11:19:07 PM
Empowering Art at Perry Street Prep
Artist and educator Blu Murphy, a photographer and mixed-media visual artist with 15 years of teaching experience, integrates her students into her artwork at Perry Street Prep, a tuition-free public charter school in Washington, D.C. Murphy photographs and creates portraits that present each child as a “work of art,” encouraging them to view their brown skin, coily hair, and personal stories as valuable and central. Student Londyn Evans describes feeling honored by the portraits and notes that seeing herself reflected in gallery-level art boosts her self-esteem.
Redlining Series: Historical Context and Artistic Intent
Murphy’s “Redline Series” draws directly on the practice of redlining that began in the 1930s when the U.S. government and financial institutions marked maps to designate certain urban, predominantly Black neighborhoods as hazardous and undervalued. She explains that the series visualizes how the legacy of those maps continues to surround and limit communities, often leaving schools in those districts underfunded. By covering the eyes of subjects in the artwork, Murphy illustrates how generations have become accustomed to the constraints imposed by redlining.
Student Response and Identity Building
Students interpret the series as a reminder that a zip code does not determine worth. Evans remarks that schools in redlined districts face disadvantages, yet the art shows that residents of those areas are “valuable” and deserve respect. Murphy reinforces this message, stating that every person from a redlined or low-income area should be seen and treated as valuable.
Wider Implications for Community Representation
Murphy’s approach links visual culture with social history, offering a model for educators who wish to address systemic inequities through creative practice. By foregrounding students’ identities and the historical forces that shape their environments, the work invites broader conversations about how art can both document and challenge persistent patterns of disinvestment in marginalized neighborhoods.
