Harold Smith

Harold Smith

Harold Smith is an educator and multimedia artist who lives and works in the Kansas City area. Most of his work is focused on his experience within the American black experience.

Artist Pages: The Art of Black Hair Braiding

Artist Pages: The Art of Black Hair Braiding

I believe that creativity is the child of want. The emotion-rich blood of humanity’s deep need to simply belong flows through creativity’s veins. To me, this explains why America’s most impactful artistic movements were conceived in the womb of its most disenfranchised communities.

“Glyneisha Johnson: Bo͝ozəm,” Haw Contemporary Crossroads

“Glyneisha Johnson: Bo͝ozəm,” Haw Contemporary Crossroads

The esteemed poet, essayist and playwright Elizabeth Alexander defines “the black interior” as “black life and creativity behind the public face of stereotype and limited imagination.” Alexander states that tapping into it “helps us envision what we are not meant to envision: complex black selves, real and enactable black power, rampant and unfetishized black beauty.” […]

Honors: Sheri ‘Purpose’ Hall

Honors: Sheri ‘Purpose’ Hall

Sheri “Purpose” Hall is an author of three books, including poetry, epistles and a collection of writings titled “Black Girl Shattered.” A dedicated social activist, Hall has been a steady and consistent fixture in Kansas City’s vibrant spoken word scene, receiving numerous awards and accolades along the way.

Bold and Confrontational Display Reflects the Collective Consciousness of the Black Experience

Bold and Confrontational Display Reflects the Collective Consciousness of the Black Experience

While the nation continues to endure seemingly growing differences between races and economic classes, the exhibit “30 Americans” reminds us that diversity is still, at its foundation, humanity’s most enlightening, enriching and beautifying trait. Featuring more than 80 artworks from the Rubell Family Collection by 30 of the most influential African American artists in roughly the last 30 years […]

An Interview with Jade Powers

An Interview with Jade Powers

In late summer, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art announced the appointment of Jade Powers as assistant curator. Powers, the 2017-2018 Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow at the Saint Louis Art Museum, brings to the museum a unique combination of experience and education in the areas of art, education and religion.

Championing Kansas City’s Black Arts Scene

Championing Kansas City’s Black Arts Scene

Collectively speaking, several organizations are championing Kansas City’s Black arts scene. The brainchild of renowned quilter Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin, the African American Artists Collective has entered its second year of existence. The AAAC includes artists from multiple genres including visual art, dance, filmmaking, jewelry making and quilting. In addition to organizing exhibitions, the AAAC advocates […]