The Art of Being Robyne Robinson
The Fox 9 newscaster revels in the comforts of her treasure-filled sanctuary
By wendy lubovich
Photo by Maki Strunc Photography
Robinson has lost count of how many pieces she’s purchased over the years—probably hundreds—but they add up to prodigious proof that art is one of her passions.
The only hint of her life in the journalism spotlight is stashed in the dining room, where a bit of gold glistens from atop a table stacked with crystal, candles, and more pictures. “People do a double take and say, ‘Are those …? Are those two …?’ and I say, ‘Yes, those are my Emmys,’” she smiles shyly.
Regularly voted one of the top Twin Cities’ broadcasters, Robinson has stacked up countless honors and awards since coming to Minnesota in 1990 after television stints in Baltimore and Dallas. In 2005, she was awarded the Upper Midwest Emmy for Best Anchor. She was also the first African-American to anchor a Twin Cities primetime newscast. In her free time, she sits on several local arts boards and regularly consults with local gallery owners.
Photo by Maki Strunc Photography
Clean furnishings from local designers, such as Blu Dot in Minneapolis, provide the blank canvas for stacks of embellished skateboards, textiles, and even a wing tip shoe with words carved into the heel by local artist Abinadi Meza. “Isn’t that fun?” asks Robinson.
Her collection reflects a life-long passion. After growing up in Chicago surrounded by artists—her sister is a filmmaker and two uncles devoted their lives to the arts—she attended Loyola University Chicago, majoring in communication arts with a minor in journalism. She was still in college when she began purchasing art, but her collecting ignited after she moved to Minneapolis and joined a contemporary arts forum through Walker Art Center.
Her exploration of local artists and venues led her in 2000 to establish her own gallery, “flatland” (small ‘f’), which featured emerging, contemporary local artists. The Minneapolis gallery earned local and national recognition, but she chose to close its doors in 2003. “It just took up too much of my time,” she says. She was also host of KMSP’s “The Buzz,” a showcase of Twin Cities art events, until 2001. “I still get artists sending me their work,” she says. “I feel blessed that they connect with me.”
Robinson remains a staunch supporter of local talent. A moody portrait by local painter Ben Olson is propped near a stairway. Over a table hangs an amusing Al Wadzinski fish sculpture made of found objects, such as kitchen strainers and metal rakes. “Isn’t that cool? I didn’t know where to put it so I hung it from the ceiling,” she says. She purchased the graffiti-like illustrated menu board from a local café that went out of business.
Photo by Maki Strunc Photography
One of her favorite spots is in the lower level, which holds a shrine of found objects, including religious statues and crosses alongside a baby-sized baptismal dress propped on a stand. “I like to come down here in the winter and light all the candles. It’s so cozy,” she says. Nearby, a collection of vintage cameras, typewriters, and Victrolas—objects that remind the newscaster of her childhood in Chicago—feels sentimental and a bit romantic. “When I was a little girl, this elderly man rented our top floor. He would play the Victrola for me and my sister and give us Kraft caramels and Doublemint gum,” she laughs.
But perhaps the room Robinson loves best is her terra cotta-colored bedroom on the top floor. Surrounded by windows, the spot feels like a cheery tree house tucked into the city. It is clear that this space is “Robyne Central,” brimming with stacks of books and baskets of jewelry. Which brings us to her latest passion: Rox Minneapolis, a company she started four years ago designing beautiful bijoux. “I was wearing this bracelet I had made and this woman came up to me in a restaurant and said, ‘How much do you want for it?’ I didn’t believe her so I said, ‘A hundred bucks,’ and she said, ‘Okay’. That’s how it all started,” Robinson recalls. Now her Rox jewelry can be found at Macy’s, Chambers Hotel, and several boutiques both locally and nationally.
Surrounded by jewelry, sculpture, paintings, and collages, Robinson’s very personal art gallery has become her private refuge. It’s a happy space filled with color, providing the much-needed distance from the politics and deadlines of TV news. “At work, I’m more serious, more analytical,” she says. “But this is my sanctuary. It’s what I need when I come home at night.”
Wendy Lubovich is a Minneapolis writer.
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Reader Comments:
Love the Greg Dickerson background on the cover!!
Robyne is such an asset to this community, in many ways. Thanks for showcasing her beautiful home. Robyne is a work of art!