Kyra Watkins is a Cincinnati native,  Portland based artist who began her art practice as a mural apprentice at the age of 15. Witnessing first hand how access and opportunity levels the playing field for young people, Kyra has been inspired to engage with the youth through art. 

Youth empowerment has become such a large part of Kyra’s practice that it has steeped into the subject of her personal work. You will find that Kyra’s work is largely figurative with the main subject matter being of children. Kyra likes to think of her work as a reminder that all children are our children, and to show up for them means we must show up for our inner child first. 

Since the start of Kyra’s first apprenticeship, she has been in the public art space for 16 years. she now aspires to marry her love for public art and youth engagement by creating a youth public art program and helping her fellow artists get started in their public art career.