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Imani Shanklin Roberts is a Washington, DC native who recently returned to DC after ten years of residing in Brooklyn, NY. Roberts is currently earning a MPS in Creative Arts Therapy and holds a BFA/MS in Art Education from Pratt Institute. As an artist and enthused educator who peels apart topics on race, gender, and identity, she seeks to create and facilitate socially responsive work and spaces that encourage ideas of self-realized liberation. Roberts is the designer of the Lena Horne Prize, the first major award to be named after an African American woman and lead artist in several other trailblazing endeavors. Roberts has a desire to continue to celebrate and share black perspectives and visuals as a key member of the Shanklin Hall creative team.
Tau Shanklin Roberts aims to be a visionary and prides himself on his expertise to find opportunities through connection and collaboration. He began the journey to bring Shanklin Hall to fruition after serving 10 years as a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State, where he first began understanding the value and potential that people-to-people connection unlocks. His experiences in foreign lands helped inspire an insatiable curiosity for new ideas, designs, and culture, which he hopes to provide a platform through Shanklin Hall. He holds an MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and a BA in Economics from Morehouse College. As a native Washingtonian, he’s also a proud graduate of D.C. Public Schools, receiving a diploma from Benjamin Banneker Academic Senior High School.
