Philip (Muzi) Branch

                         

P. Muzi Branch is a native of Richmond, Virginia.  He attended Virginia Commonwealth University where he received both his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (1980) and his Master of Art Education Degree (1986).  He has been an arts instructor at Virginia Union University; Richmond, VA; Saint Paul’s College, Lawrenceville, VA.  Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA., He served as Assistant Director at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology and as Director of the Arts in Healthcare Program for VCU Health Systems.  He currently serves as president of the Black American Artists Alliance of Richmond (BAAAR).

 

Branch is a painter, illustrator, and designer. He served as art director for Black Fire Record Company and N.A.M.E. Brand Record Company creating album cover art for  The Oneness of JuJu, Plunky and Oneness, Southern Energy Ensemble, Kevin Christopher Teasley, Paris Ford and Wayne Davis. 

 

He is registered with the Virginia Commission for the Arts on the official roster of the “Artists In Education” program and has completed residencies in mural painting with following Virginia public school systems: Henrico County, Petersburg, Richmond, Nokesville, Covington, Big Stone Gap, Dinwiddie County, Staunton and Appalachia.

 

Branch  expresses his love and respect for African and African American culture by painting images of the Diaspora.  His award winning paintings have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Exhibits include: The JVC Jazz Festival, Harlem, NY; The PANAFEST, Ghana, West Africa; The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia; The Laredo Center for the Arts, Texas; The Art Institute and Gallery, Salisbury, MD; The Atelier Gallery, New York; The Frederick Douglas/Benjamin Banniker Museum, Annapolis, MD; The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio, and The Ashland Area Art Gallery, Kentucky.  His work is a part of the permanent collections of the African American Museum of Dallas, SunTrust Bank, Richmond Community Hospital, The Medical College of VA, Lynchburg College, First Market Bank, and many private collectors.

 

Branch, also known as MUZI, is an accomplished musician and song writer.  He plays the bass guitar. He performed and recorded with the internationally acclaimed musical group Plunky and Oneness.  His compositions are featured on many of the  group’s albums and compact discs.

   

Link for Plunky and Oneness

Link for BAAAR

Teaching Artist Roster