Ayofemi
Kirby

Founder & cultural strategist.

I am the founder of ElevenThirtySix, a cultural strategy and advisory practice that works with museums, libraries, cultural organizations, foundations, public agencies, and artists to strengthen the institutions that hold our shared cultural heritage and civic life. I am also the founder and director of Galerie36, an intimate contemporary art house rooted in Dakar and open to the world.

My work rests on more than two decades working inside and alongside the institutions that shape public life: service as communications director for the Congressional Black Caucus and for Congressman Adam Smith, public engagement leadership at the New York Public Library and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and digital and corporate communications at Wachovia through the financial crisis and its acquisition.

That work helped launch my own creative and cultural practice. At the arts communications agency Sutton, I led campaigns for artists and arts institutions including Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, Sean Kelly Gallery, and Japan Society. At ElevenThirtySix, I’ve created and managed campaigns for clients such as The Africa Center, the International Center of Photography, Socrates Sculpture Park and many others. At Galerie36, that practice becomes physical: exhibitions, conversations, and gatherings presenting African and diasporic artists from Dakar to the world.

The throughline across all of it is helping creative individuals and civic institutions earn trust, tell their story clearly, and deepen cultural engagement with the communities they serve.

I hold a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from UNC Chapel Hill, an MA in Strategic Communications from American University, and a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard Extension School, with executive education from Duke University and Sotheby’s Institute of Art.