How Louisville Artist Robyn Gibson Turns Boxing Into Art
Meet Louisville artist Robyn Gibson, whose journey through boxing, art, and loss helped her find her creative voice. Now, she's using her talents to uplift Louisville's creative community through the "Art By Volume" podcast. Image: PorchéB Photography
From Louisville’s West End to South Florida, New York City, and back home again, art has taken Robyn Gibson on an unexpected journey. Today, the multidisciplinary artist shares her talents through WheelHouse Art as host of the gallery’s Art By Volume podcast, where she explores Louisville’s creative community. We spoke with Robyn about the grief that brought her home, the role boxing plays in her artwork, and her upcoming piece in the KMAC Contemporary Art Museum‘s Girl Crush exhibit.
Who were some of your earliest art influences?
My mom is a clothing designer and seamstress. When I was young, she quit her nine-to-five as a librarian to be there for me, and did her sewing from home. Even if her influence wasn’t intentional, it was osmosis.
I remember playing with her fabric scraps when I was little. Who knows what I was doing? She was in her creative space while allowing me to do my thing simultaneously. She really influenced the way I think about bodies and how I want people to feel comfortable in who they are.
What lured you back to Louisville?
Honestly, trauma and tragedy brought me back home. COVID hit during my residency in Florida, and I took it really hard. Suddenly, I couldn’t go to the studio. The studio is where I feel most myself.
Then I went to New York for graduate school at the New York Academy of Art, where I still couldn’t go to the studio or even be in the same area of the apartment as my roommates, as we were all still social distancing. It was so isolating.
Around the same time, my grandmother passed, and then just a couple of months later, my uncle. I realized my mother and I were both carrying so much grief alone in different cities. It was time for me to come home and be with my mom.
I was fighting an uphill battle with grief. I’m glad to be home. I still don’t know exactly what I’m doing, but I feel more confident that I’m on the right track.
Boxing plays an integral role in your art. How did you get into boxing, and how does it inspire your work?
I always wanted to learn how to box. Shortly after undergrad, a friend told me about a place where I could try a class for free. I guess I took too long to sign up, because he said, “You’re not gonna do it.” That’s all it took. Don’t tell me what I’m not going to do.
I absolutely loved it. It was a place where I could not know what I was doing, and it was okay. I was allowed to be bad at it, and I was bad until I got better. I found a confidence I’d never had before.
What is your preferred medium?
I started out wanting to be a designer, but eventually realized fine art was my thing and fell into painting. But with painting, I always felt like everything had to be finished and perfect. When I lived in New York, someone was giving away a big roll of non-archival gray paper that tore really easily. Whatever, it was free. I started charcoal drawing, and realized I was drawing boxers.
It became very therapeutic for me. The same confident man I met in the ring was the person I was drawing over and over. I guess I paint with charcoal now. I also started doing clay vessels during my residency in Florida. A friend taught me the coil technique. I found it incredibly soothing. Charcoal, clay, and boxing have healed me.
You are also a podcast host. How did that come about?
I had a podcast with a friend in New York. It started with us just messing around and talking about life. Then we interviewed another artist, and it accidentally blew up! Life happened, and I moved back home, so that podcast is no more. But since I’d already invested in the equipment, I started the Life is Weird podcast, interviewing friends and family.
Daniel Pfalzgraf, owner of WheelHouseArt, heard about both and asked if I’d be interested in partnering. It all came together in a way that felt organic and needed. I’m hoping to see it grow. Having a voice that shares what’s happening in the art world in Louisville is a big deal. I think it could be a culture changer.
What would you like to see change about Louisville’s art scene?
I’d like to see more support and funding go to less-established artists and artists of color. I know there is money out there, but I don’t always see it coming to the artists who need it most.
I’d also love to see more events that get the public involved, like the trolley hop we used to have on Frankfort Avenue. I’d love to see more art poured into the spaces where people live — and not just NuLu.
There are galleries in other places. And make it free! I cannot express enough that funding should go to those who don’t have access. So many cities have an arts-focused mindset. These things should be considered in city planning and budgeting. Why not put Louisville on the map that way?
Where in the city do you go when you need inspiration?
I love water. The Walking Bridge is one of my favorite places. I like the water below me, and the breeze at the top. It’s a great place to clear my head.
What’s one thing people are surprised to learn about you?
I always have Play-Doh nearby so I can create with something malleable when I need to.
I lived with my aunt during my residency in Florida, and when COVID hit, I wasn’t able to go to my studio. I slipped into a depression. My cousin said, “I know you really want to make art, but here’s some Play-Doh.” It kept me sane, sitting on the couch watching Netflix and creating with Play-Doh. Now I keep it around all the time.
What’s your best piece of advice?
It’s a lesson I’m still learning. You are the only “you” you’re ever going to have. Making sure you are good with you is so important.
It’s easy to be misunderstood or for people not to like you, but it’s so freeing when you get to a point where you love and accept yourself. You have to come first. We can’t have a real community and love for others if we don’t have love for ourselves first. How can we be honest with other people about what we need if we can’t be honest with ourselves?
LIGHTNING ROUND
What’s your go-to order at The Wine Room? Bonfire Red #102 wine. Man, it just snaps. Something about that smokiness …
The last great book you read? Belle Hook’s All About Love
Favorite podcast(s) other than yours? 3 Black Halflings, World’s Beyond Number, and Not Another D&D Podcast
Clothing item you’ll never get rid of? My hoodie. My mom is trying to make me get rid of it, but it has thumbholes. Who doesn’t love thumbholes? I told my mom I’d keep it in the studio, but I can’t retire it.
Your go-to snack? Popcorn.
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Beth Clayton
For over 20 years, Beth Clayton has either been working in a newsroom or pitching one. A natural storyteller and word nerd from the moment she could pick up a pencil, she earned her journalism degree from Butler University and spent the next decade as a writer, reporter, and editor. She now lives in Louisville, KY with her husband, three kids, and a very bad dog, and loves immersing herself in old lady hobbies such as houseplants and macrame.