Award-winning creative practitioner and urban planning scholar will lead exhibitions and public programming
Dr. Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta, an award-winning creative practitioner and urban planning scholar, has joined the Tyler School of Art and Architecture as its new Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs.
Dr. Kenyatta, who works at the intersection of place, taste, and urban change, will lead Temple Contemporary, Tyler’s center for exhibitions and public engagement, with a focus on collaborative, interdisciplinary programs that highlight underrepresented artists and cultural histories. He will also focus on increasing connections with the local community.
“Under Matt’s leadership, we envision strengthening the relationship between Tyler and our North Philadelphia neighbors to become more a porous institution as part of the school’s mission and vision for greater involvement with the community,” said Dean Susan E. Cahan.
Intersection of place, taste and urban change
Dr. Kenyatta’s educational background spans geography, urban planning, film, architectural history, and preservation, with a strong emphasis on the intersection of the built environment and cultural identity. He is a self-described “geographer, storyteller, and planning scholar who works at the intersection of place, taste, and urban change from Afrofuturist queer perspectives.”
He holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Development from the University of Southern California ; a Master of City Planning in Environmental Policy and Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a BA in Urban Studies with a minor in African and African American Studies from Stanford University. His research and teaching interests include cultural studies, Black geography, community design, and digital humanities. In addition to his role as Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs, Dr. Kenyatta will teach courses in Tyler’s master's degree program in City and Regional Planning and the Arts Management track in the Art History MA degree program.
Creating a cultural destination
Dr. Kenyatta joins Tyler from the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design, where he held a variety of positions over his six-year tenure there. Since 2021, he has been a member of the Philadelphia Art Commission, the city's design review board, which ensures development in Philadelphia is "beautiful, orderly, and appropriate."
"I’m honored to join Temple Contemporary, a hidden gem on the North Broad Street corridor, and thrilled to help shape its evolution into a dynamic cultural destination for our city,” said Kenyatta. “My vision is to make Temple Contemporary a space where wonder and discovery thrives—uncovering the unique identity of this place, exploring the transformative power of art and design, and sparking vital conversations about social and urban change.”