40 Under 40: Romy Aura Maloon

You will find few people in Atlanta as dedicated to public art and public spaces as Romy Aura Maloon.

She earned a BFA in Sculpture from Ringling College of Art and Design and has spent much of her career working at the intersection of art, culture, community, and public space.

Before joining the City of Atlanta, she worked with organizations including Atlanta Contemporary and Dash.Studio, as well as in the creative and cultural sectors in Los Angeles and New York.

Now, she is Manager and Lead for Atlanta Streets Alive as a public program for the City of Atlanta. The program, which she helped transition from an independent nonprofit, opens city streets to people and creates opportunities for residents, businesses, artists, and community organizations to come together in public space.

Maloon’s Jewish connection, in her own words, “is deeply personal, cultural, and rooted in family. I am a first-generation American with South African Jewish parents, and Judaism was a critical aspect of my childhood and adolescence. I attended The Epstein School through eighth grade, where I forged deep friendships and built a community of relationships that last till this day.”

“For me, Judaism is as much about humor, storytelling, food, questioning everything, ritual, and taking care of your people as it is about religious practice.”

Correspondingly, Maloon has also served as a panelist for the Ayeka Project, helping review artist proposals for a public art grant exploring Jewish identity, grief, and the complicated human realities of Israel and Palestine.

As for further Jewish connections to her work, Maloon is interested in strengthening Jewish ties to Atlanta Streets Alive.

“I’d also love to build stronger connections between Atlanta’s Jewish organizations and Atlanta Streets Alive. One of my favorite parts of the work is seeing how a street can become a place where nonprofits, churches, community groups, and cultural organizations can meet people, share what they care about, and invite people into their communities. I think there is a real opportunity for Jewish organizations to be part of that.”