Shinique Smith (born January 9, 1971) is an American

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

, known for her colorful

installation art Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...

and paintings that incorporate found textiles and

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

materials. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Early life and education

Born in 1971, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Smith's artistic training began in childhood, encouraged toward the creative arts by her mother, a fashion editor. She began studying ballet at age four, and later attended the

Baltimore School for the Arts The Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) is a public performing arts high school located in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland, United States and is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Established in 1979, The Baltimore School for the ...

. In high school, Smith was influenced by artists in the

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

scene, an aesthetic also visible in her mature work. Her studies of

Japanese calligraphy also called is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. Written Japanese was originally based on Chinese characters only, but the advent of the hiragana and katakana Japanese syllabaries resulted in intrin ...

and

abstraction Abstraction in its main sense is a conceptual process wherein general rules and concepts are derived from the usage and classification of specific examples, literal ("real" or "concrete") signifiers, first principles, or other methods. "An abstr ...

in college also influenced her artistic development. After earning her

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

degree at

Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a private art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the oldest art colleges in the U ...

, Smith worked as a costumer and props assistant on movies such as

Disclosure Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media *Disclosure (The Gathering album), ''Disclosure'' (The Gathering album), 2012 *Disclosure (band), a UK-based garage/electronic duo *Disclosure (novel), ''Disclosure'' (novel), 1994 novel written by Michael ...

Guarding Tess ''Guarding Tess'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film starring Shirley MacLaine and Nicolas Cage, directed by Hugh Wilson. MacLaine plays a fictional former First Lady protected by an entourage of Secret Service agents led by one she continua ...

Serial Mom Serial may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media The presentation of works in sequential segments * Serial (literature), serialised literature in print * Serial (publishing), periodical publications and newspapers * Serial (radio and televisi ...

, and

That Night ''That Night'' (originally titled ''One Hot Summer'') is a 1992 American coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Craig Bolotin and starring C. Thomas Howell and Juliette Lewis. It is based on the 1987 novel of the same name b ...

. From 1995 to 2000, Smith served on the advisory board of

911 Media Arts Center 911 Media Arts Center is a non-profit media arts and access center located in Seattle, Washington. 911 Media Arts Center was incorporated on August 14, 1984, to support the expressive use of media tools through training, equipment, and access gran ...

in Seattle, where she launched Seattle's first festival of African American film and video called Flav'a Fest. Described in the press as "an annual journey through the visions, lives and dreams of media makers of

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

ancestry," the festival hosted films by emerging and established filmmakers such as

Cheryl Dunye Cheryl Dunye (; born May 13, 1966) is a Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Dunye's work often concerns themes of race, sexuality, and gender, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. She is known ...

Cauleen Smith Cauleen Smith (born September 25, 1967) is an American born filmmaker and multimedia artist. She is best known for her experimental works that address the African-American identity, specifically the issues facing black women today. Smith is bes ...

, Barbara McCullough,

Kasi Lemmons Kasi Lemmons (; born Karen Lemmons, February 24, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She made her directorial debut with ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), followed by '' Talk to Me'' (2007), ''Black Nativity'' (2013), '' Harriet ...

, and Charles Burnett (who was honored by Flav'a Fest and Seattle Mayor

Norm Rice Norman Blann Rice (born May 4, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 49th mayor of Seattle, Washington, serving two terms from 1990 to 1997. Rice was Seattle's first elected African-American mayor. Early life Rice graduated from th ...

at a special screening of

Killer of Sheep ''Killer of Sheep'' is a 1978 American drama film edited, filmed, written, produced, and directed by Charles Burnett. Shot primarily in 1972 and 1973, it was originally submitted by Burnett to the UCLA School of Film in 1977 as his Master of Fi ...

in 1997). After working in the film industry, Smith returned to her studies and earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in education from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

in 2000 and a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

degree from the

in 2003. In 2003, Smith moved to New York and participated in The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's artist studio residency, where she began making

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Art and career

Shinique Smith combines fine art media with text, bright colors, and found objects, such as stuffed animals and clothing. She began to include used clothing in her work after reading a ''New York Times Magazine'' article about secondhand garments shipped to Africa from thrift stores. She describes her process as a personal one: "It all begins with emotion, an expression and I allow myself to go on a journey in the making of each work, a journey of associations between object and color, between lyrics and fabric, between the viewer and me." Smith's art has been described as "kaleidoscopic," collecting "the vibrant, carefully collected debris of her life and career" and creating "graceful yet forceful combinations of many different materials and ideas." The Frist Art Museum has interpreted Smith's work as conveying her personal history as well as "a greater sense of cultural concern and connectivity." Her work gained critical attention when The

Studio Museum in Harlem The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American art museum devoted to the work of artists of African descent. The museum's galleries are currently closed in preparation for a building project that will replace the current building, located at 144 W ...

exhibited her first bale sculpture in ''Frequency'' in 2005, an exhibition that helped launch the careers of other artists of Smith's generation such as

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

Kalup Linzy Kalup Linzy (born July 23, 1977) is an American video and performance artist who currently lives and works in Tulsa, OK. His performance are characterized by their low-tech quality, themes of community, socializing, family, the church, sexuality a ...

Xaviera Simmons Xaviera Simmons is an American contemporary artist. She works in photography, performance, painting, video, sound art, sculpture, and installation. Since 2019, Simmons has been a visiting professor and lecturer at Harvard University. Simmons was ...

, and

Hank Willis Thomas Hank Willis Thomas (born 1976 in Plainfield, New Jersey; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) is an American conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to identity, history, and popular culture. Early life and education Hank Willis Th ...

. Smith's sculptural works were also prominently featured in the acclaimed launch exhibition of the

New Museum The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a museum in New York City at 235 Bowery, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. History The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-named New Sc ...

, ''Unmonumental: The Object in the 21st Century,'' which featured works by

Sam Durant Sam Durant (born 1961, in Seattle) is a multimedia artist whose works engage social, political, and cultural issues. Often referencing American history, his work explores culture and politics, engaging subjects such as the civil rights movement, ...

Urs Fischer Urs Fischer (born 2 May 1973) is a Swiss-born contemporary visual artist living in New York City. Fischer’s practice includes sculpture, installation and photography. Education and early career Born to two doctors as the second of two children ...

Isa Genzken Isa Genzken (born 27 November 1948) is a German artist who lives and works in Berlin. Her primary media are sculpture and installation, using a wide variety of materials, including concrete, plaster, wood and textile. She also works with photograp ...

Elliott Hundley Elliott Hundley (born 1975 in Greensboro, North Carolina) is an American artist, living and working in Los Angeles. Hundley earned an MFA in the Department of Painting and Drawing at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2005, with a 1997 ...

, and

Jim Lambie James Lambie (born 1964 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a contemporary visual artist, and was shortlisted for the 2005 Turner Prize with an installation called ''Mental Oyster''. Jim Lambie graduated from the Glasgow School of Art (1990-1994) with an H ...

to name a few. Smith's art was featured in ''30 Americans'', an exhibition of works by African American artists (including

Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved fame as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, alongside Al ...

Rashid Johnson Rashid Johnson (born 1977) is an American artist who produces conceptual post-black art. Johnson first received critical attention in 2001 at the age of 24, when his work was included in '' Freestyle'' (2001) curated by Thelma Golden at the St ...

Kerry James Marshall Kerry James Marshall (born October 17, 1955) is an American artist and professor, known for his paintings of Black figures. He previously taught painting at the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2017, Marshall ...

Lorna Simpson Lorna Simpson (born August 13, 1960) is an American photographer and multimedia artist. She came to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s with artworks such as ''Guarded Conditions'' and ''Square Deal''. Simpson is most well-known for her work in c ...

Mickalene Thomas Mickalene Thomas (born January 28, 1971) is a contemporary African-American visual artist best known as a painter of complex works using rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel.

Carrie Mae Weems Carrie Mae Weems (born April 20, 1953) is an American artist working in text, fabric, audio, digital images and installation video, and is best known for her photography. She achieved prominence through her early 1990s photographic project ''Th ...

, and

Kehinde Wiley Kehinde Wiley (born February 28, 1977)"Kehinde Wiley"
''Artnet''. Retrieved October 13, 2010. i ...

among others) in the permanent collection of the

Rubell Museum The Rubell Museum, formerly the Rubell Family Collection, is a private contemporary art museum with locations in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami, Florida, and the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Opened to the public i ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

that has toured extensively since 2009 and been a favored by critics and viewers at many museums across the U.S. Since these exhibitions, Smith's works have been exhibited at numerous venues internationally, including a recent 2014 survey of her work ''BRIGHT MATTER'' at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where Jen Mergel, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art described the palette of Smith's works in the exhibition and use of found materials as "a product of United States culture especially from the 1980s." Mergel said the exhibition "reflects an essential aspect of Smith's practice: how to visually manifest emotional connection, belief and the resilience of human energy through gestures and materials that shape daily life. Her work is an embodiment of the powerful spectrum of expression that for Smith, leans toward joy. Also in 2014, Smith was commissioned by The Rose F. Kennedy Greenway in Boston to create a mural for their rotating exhibition wall. Smith's work, ''Seven Moon Junction'' was nationally recognized as one of the Best Public Art Projects Annually by ''Americans for the Arts Public Art Year in Review''. The Greenway also commissioned Smith to create an accompanying dance performance video, ''Gesture III: One Great Turning'', a collaboration with Boston-based KAIROS Dance Theater, which was filmed on The Greenway in front Smith's mural.

Awards and collections

Shinique Smith received a

Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation was founded in 1918 by Louis Comfort Tiffany to operate his estate, Laurelton Hall, in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It was designed to be a summer retreat for artists and craftspeople. In 1946 the estate ...

Award in 2013, The Maryland Institute College of Art's Alumni Medal of Honor in 2012, and a

Joan Mitchell Joan Mitchell (February 12, 1925 – October 30, 1992) was an American artist who worked primarily in painting and printmaking, and also used pastel and made other works on paper. She was an active participant in the New York School of artis ...

Prize in 2008. Smith's work is included in several prestigious permanent collections, including the

Ackland Art Museum The Ackland Art Museum is a museum and academic unit of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded through the bequest of William Hayes Ackland (1855–1940) to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is located a ...

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

Denver Art Museum The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. With encyclopedic collections of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world, the DAM is one of the largest art museums between t ...

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the

Palmer Museum of Art The Palmer Museum of Art is the art museum of Pennsylvania State University, located on the University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania. Collections The museum has an increasing permanent collection of more than 7,000 works. The colle ...

, The Rubell Family Collection, Miami; the

Minneapolis Institute of Art The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...

; and the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

. She is represented by David Castillo Gallery, Miami.

Select solo exhibitions

2018

* ''Shinique Smith: Refuge'', curated by Essence Harden,

California African American Museum The California African American Museum (CAAM) is a museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, United States. The museum focuses on enrichment and education on the cultural heritage and history of African Americans with a focus o ...

(CAAM), Los Angeles, California

2016

MOCA Jacksonville, Shinique Smith: Project Atrium ''Quickening'', March 19 - June 26

2015

* Shinique Smith: ''Wonder and Rainbows'', The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN; October 9 – January 10, 2016 * ''Threaded'', Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA; February 12 – April 12, 2015

2014

* ''Shinique Smith: BRIGHT MATTER'', curated by Jen Mergel, Museum of Fine Arts, Henry and Lois Foster Gallery, Boston; August 23 - March 1, 2015 * ''Shinique Smith: Changing Rooms'', Galerie Henrik Springmann, Berlin; March 15-April 15 * ''Arcadian Clusters'', Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, East Lansing; February 7-June 1 (catalogue)

2013

* ''Kaleidoscopic'', David Castillo Gallery, Miami; May 17-July 6 * ''Shinique Smith: Bold As Love'', James Cohan Gallery, New York; February 15-March 16 * ''Firsthand'', Los Angeles County Museum of Art at Charles White Elementary, Los Angeles; Feb 8-July 19

2011

* ''SHINIQUE SMITH: To the Ocean of Everyone Else'', Brand New Gallery, Milan; November 10-December 23 (catalogue) * ''The Urban Pastoral'', Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Pinnacle Gallery, Savannah GA; August 11-October 7 and (SCAD), Trois Gallery, Atlanta, April 25-July 22 * ''New Degree of Love'', Galerie Zidoun, Luxembourg; June 9-July 31 * ''Shinique Smith: Menagerie'', Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison WI; January 22 - May 8 (catalogue)

2010

* ''Every Brick,'' curated by Steven Matijcio, SECCA, Winston-Salem, NC; November 18-February 13, 2011 * ''Shinique Smith: Menagerie'', Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, Miami FL; September 16 November 19 (Catalogue) * ''Shinique Smith: No Words'', Yvon Lambert, Paris; April 2-May 12 * ''My Heart Is My Hand'', Illinois State University Galleries, Normal IL; February 16-March 28

2009

* ''Ten Times Myself'', Yvon Lambert, New York; May 21-July 31 * ''Shinique Smith: Like it Like that'', Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; April 2-June 28

2008

* Yvon Lambert, London; ''Good Knot'', November 22-December 20, 2008 * ''Torch Songs'', Curated by

Isolde Brielmaier Isolde Brielmaier (born 1971) is an American curator and scholar working in New York City. Early life and education Brielmaier was born in Seattle, Washington to Ugandan and Austrian parents who encouraged involvement in the arts. She studied ...

, Saltworks Gallery, Atlanta; April 19-May 30, 2008

2007

* ''Shinique Smith: Lost & Found'', Franklin Art Works, Minneapolis; June 9-July 29, 2007 * ''Shinique Smith: Open Strings'', Skestos Gabriele Gallery, Chicago; March 9-April 7, 2007

2006

* ''Shinique Smith: No dust, no stain'', Cuchifritos Gallery, New York; October 7-November 11, 2006

2005

* ''Overstock'', The Proposition, New York; December 8-January 21, 2006 (essay by Greg Tate) * ''FULL-ON!'', Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder CO; June 24-September 3, 2005

2002

* ''Crossroads'', The Creative Alliance, Baltimore, September - October, 2002 * ''Manifestations'', Scuola dei Tiraoro e Battioro, Venice, Italy, June 2002 (Catalogue)

Public projects

Rotating

* "

Aspen Art Museum Founded in 1979, the Aspen Art Museum (AAM) is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in Aspen, Colorado. AAM exhibitions include drawings, paintings, sculptures, multimedia installations and electronic media. Aspen Art Museum Building ...

at Elk Camp", a site specific project in Snowmass, Shinique Smith: Resonant Tides Nov 28, 2015-Sep 10, 2017 * ''Open Source'', a citywide exhibition with Mural Arts in Philadelphia. A new mural and performance project, Shine Space * ''Seven Moon Junction'', Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Boston, September 2014 -August 2015 a temporary 70' x 76’ mural at Dewey Square Park in Boston.

Permanent

*"Only Love, Only Light", Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority, completion date 2017 *''First Born of the Child's Sunrise'', located in the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown African American Department at th
Enoch Pratt Free Library
in Baltimore, MD - mixed media, completed 2016. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shinique_Smith_plaque.jpg * ''Joy's Way'', The UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay in San Francisco, completed 2014 * ''Mother Hale's Garden'', Located at The Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot, New York MTA/Arts in Transit, New York - Permanent mosaic and hand painted art glass, 5,000 square feet, completed 2013 * ''Twilight'' and ''Dawn'', Permanent murals at The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in collaboration with

Art Production Fund Art Production Fund (APF) is a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code that presents public art throughout the United States. It was founded in 2000 by Yvonne Force Villareal and Doreen Remen. it is directed by Casey ...

, completed 2010.

Performances

* ''Breathing Room: Bound and Loose'' - Performed at the Baltimore Museum of Art January 11, 2020. * ''Breathing Room'' - Performed 2018 during Kansas City Open Spaces curated by Dan Cameron. * ''Gesture III: One Great Turning'' - 2015, Filmed in front of Smith's mural Seven Moon Junction, with the use of aerial and ground videography performed by and in collaboration with the KAIROS Dance Company with sound & editing design by Gary Pennock. * ''Gesture II: Between two breaths'' - Performed by Shinique Smith and Marisa Arriaga at Brooklyn Academy of Music on October 5, 2015, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston as part of Shinique Smith: BRIGHT MATTER on February 11, 2015. * ''Gesture I: Unraveling'' - Performed by Marisa Arriaga at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston as part of Shinique Smith: BRIGHT MATTER on September 7, 2014

Curatorial Projects

* ''Elsewhere'', Saltworks Gallery, Atlanta; Curated by Smith, A group exhibition exploring contemporary romantic themes of landscape, place and the pastoral with works by artists: Marcus Morales, Jane Benson, Christine Bailey, Justin Anderson, Erika Ranee, Sean Ryan, Mickalene Thomas and Jennie C. Jones. * ''Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day'', The Proposition, New York, November 2 -December 16, 2006; Curated by Smith, A group exhibition exploring contemporary melancholy through artworks by emerging and emergent artists; Ann Craven, Rashawn Griffin, Sean Ryan, Sigrid Sandstrom, Sabeen Raja, Jina Valentine, Christine Bailey, William Downs III, Elizabeth Bick and

Kira Lynn Harris Kira Lynn Harris (born 1963) is an African-American mixed-media artist who currently lives and teaches in New York City. Life Kira Lynn Harris was born in 1963 in Los Angeles, California. Harris received her BA in Studio Art from the University ...

References

External links

* Interview
"A Conversation with Shinique Smith"
(2016) from MICA *Interview:
An Artist's Evolution: Shinique Smith in Conversation with Cara Ober
(2020) from Enoch Pratt Free Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Shinique American women artists African-American contemporary artists American contemporary artists Maryland Institute College of Art alumni Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni 1971 births Living people 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women