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.

The Challenges of Black Gallery Ownership in Kansas City

Only three of the galleries in Kansas City are owned and operated by African Americans; joining Ron Chaney’s EthnicArt Gallery, two are owned by Black women, who face the double-edged sword of structural racism and structural sexism.

July 14, 2020
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Honors: Emiel Cleaver

Emiel Cleaver has used his video production skills to educate and enlighten by casting a light on Kansas City’s rich, yet complex, Black history. In addition to a critically acclaimed documentary on the Black political organization, Freedom Incorporated, Cleaver has produced documentaries on Bruce R. Watkins and the historic First Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kansas.

May 18, 2020
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Building a More Open, Inclusive and Diverse Arts Scene

Since he began collecting art in the early 1990s, Dwight Smith has established himself as one of the leading collectors in Kansas City, specializing in works by women artists and artists of color. Smith is a fixture at art openings and events.

May 13, 2020
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‘Whiteout’: An Artist’s Frank Memoir About His Family’s Racist Past

“My family arose from a line that defines white privilege and power, in a place of authority that has twisted the lives of many. Over generations, my family helped shape the Jim Crow laws in Alabama, convict the innocent and protect the guilty. They profited from slavery, racial terror, the labor of hired convicts, the prison leasing system and took full advantage of all the other perks that go with wealth and easy access to the powerful.”

April 2, 2020
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American Jazz Museum’s New Executive Director Will Lead Push to Prominence

"Certainly, the AJM has a lens on what Kansas City has contributed to the industry and to the music. This being a territory town for folks like Count Basie and such, this was the kitchen, a laboratory for many of those bands. So, the museum here offers a different lens for the music."

March 2, 2020
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Arts News: Rare Daguerreotype Gives Insight into Issues of Race

In November, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art announced the acquisition of a rare daguerreotype. The Hall Family Foundation purchased the work for the museum, and it is believed to be the earliest known photograph depicting African American slaves with cotton. According to a release from the museum, “the photograph was likely taken some time during […]

January 6, 2020
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