Cauleen Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cauleen Smith
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| Born | September 25, 1967 Riverside, CA
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| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Kelly Gabron |
| Occupation | Filmmaker, artist |
| Known for | Film |
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Notable work
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Drylongso |
| Awards | United States Artists Fellowship |
Cauleen Smith (born September 25, 1967) is an American filmmaker and artist. She is known for her movies and art that explore what it means to be an African-American, especially the experiences of Black women today. Cauleen Smith is currently a professor at the University of California - Los Angeles.
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Cauleen Smith's Education
Cauleen Smith studied Cinema at San Francisco State University. She earned her first degree in 1991. While she was a student there, she made several films. Two of these films, Daily Rains (1990) and Chronicles of a Lying Spirit by Kelly Gabron (1993), got a lot of attention.
After her first degree, Smith went to UCLA for her master's degree. Her work at UCLA became famous around the world. During her second year, she decided to make a full-length movie called Drylongso. This was against UCLA's rules for film students. But after some challenges, she finished the film. Drylongso became very popular at the Sundance Film Festival and won several awards. In 1998, Smith graduated from UCLA. She was already known as a rising star in the film world.
In 2007, she also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine.
About Drylongso
Drylongso is a movie Cauleen Smith made while she was at UCLA. The story takes place in Oakland, CA. It follows a young African-American woman named Pica. Pica wants to photograph what she believes are the last of the young African-American men. The film also talks about the serious challenges young Black men faced in Oakland.
The word "Drylongso" is an old African-American term. It means "same old" or "everyday." The movie was very popular at many film festivals, including Sundance Film Festival. In 2000, Drylongso won "Best Feature Film" at the Urbanworld Festival, the Los Angeles Pan-African Film Festival, and the Philadelphia International Film Festival.
Cauleen Smith's Art in Chicago
Cauleen Smith spent time as an artist-in-residence in Chicago. She worked at places like ThreeWalls and the Experimental Sound Studio. In 2012, she had art shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and ThreeWalls. She was also named an "Outstanding Artist" by a national group. Smith also visited the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. There, she explored how art, protests, business, and community connect on Chicago's South Side.
One of her special art projects was "17." It was shown from March to July 2013. You could see it at the Hyde Park Art Center and on a street corner in Chicago. "17" featured a very long, hand-printed wallpaper. The title "17" came from Smith's thoughts about the number's spiritual meaning. It also connected to art and culture from ancient times to today. The project was also inspired by Sun Ra, a musician who studied numbers. He believed the number "17" was important for "cultural immortality."
In 2017, Smith's art was part of the Whitney Biennial exhibition. She hung large, hand-stitched banners from the ceiling. These banners showed her feelings about police violence against Black people. Smith and artist Aram Han Sifuentes also led a workshop. It was called the "Protest Banner Lending Library."
Smith's "Human_3.0 Reading List" was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017. This project started in 2015. It includes 57 drawings of 14 books. Smith said these books "changed my life, saved my life and sustain my life." They also made it hard for her to ignore problems in the world.
Cauleen Smith's Art in Los Angeles
In 2018, Smith's exhibit "Give It or Leave It" was shown in Philadelphia. This exhibit used films, objects, and installations. It explored the lives and ideas of four special people. These included musician Alice Coltrane and artist Noah Purifoy. The exhibit showed places that were not perfect societies. But they were places where artists and communities shared ideas and helped each other. Smith used these ideas to imagine a future that is Black, feminist, spiritual, and full of life.
In 2019, Smith showed her ongoing art project, Black Utopia LP. This was part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. She also showed a new version of her film Drylongso. And she showed a new short film called Sojourner.
Her work was also part of an exhibit called "Loitering Is Delightful" in Los Angeles in 2019.
Solar Flare Arkestral Marching Band Project
Cauleen Smith created the Solar Flare Arkestral Marching Band Project in Chicago. This project came from her time as an artist-in-residence. The band included students from the Rich South High School marching band. Sometimes, the South Shore Drill Team also joined.
In 2010, the band appeared like a flash mob in different parts of Chicago. These areas had experienced youth violence. The band played and danced to music by Sun Ra. Smith wanted to use the power of music to fight youth violence.
Afrofuturism and Cauleen Smith
Cauleen Smith is part of a movement called Afrofuturism. This is a style of art and writing that mixes science fiction, history, fantasy, and African culture. It uses these ideas to look at problems faced by people of color today. It also re-examines historical events from the past.
In an interview in 2011, Smith talked about Afrofuturism. She said it helps her think about the past of African people. It also helps her imagine possible stories for the future. She explained that Afrofuturism can help explore difficult experiences.
Filmography
- 2019
- Black Utopia LP at the International Film Festival Rotterdam
- 2010
- Remote Viewing. Digital Video.
- The Grid. Digital Video.
- T Minus Two. Film.
- Good Clean Family Fun. Film.
- Black and Blue Over You (after Bas Jan Ader for Ishan).
- Demon Fuzz. Film.
- Elsewhere. Film.
- Sine at the Canyon Sine at the Sea. Films from NASA.
- 2009
- Not the Black. Video.
- 2008
- Entitled Film.
- The Fullness of Time Video.
- 2007
- Nebulae – Austin. Film installation.
- Right Hand Only Left Hand Lonely Video Installation.
- 2006
- (Afro)Galactic Postcards from M94 Video Podcasts and Website.
- I Want to See My Skirt Video with sculptures.
- Marriage Is for White People Video and 3D Installation.
- Cantata for Salamanders and Twelve Choirs Film.
- Dark Matter and the Post Card Experimental Video.
- The Carbonist School Study Hall Documentary.
- 2005
- The Green Dress Series. Film.
- 2003
- Hollywould If She Could. Video.
- 2001
- The Changing Same Film.
- 1998
- Drylongso Full-length film.
- 1997
- White Suit Film.
- Sapphire Tape #2: Video.
- 1995
- A Thousand Words Film.
- Sapphire Tape #1: Video.
- Memory Poison Bones Art installation.
- Chronicles of a Lying Spirit by Kelly Gabron Film.
- 1990
- Daily Rains. Film.
- 1989
- Wall Documentary Video.
Awards and Honors
Cauleen Smith has received many awards for her work:
- 1993
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- Special Merit Award, National Black Programming Consortium
- 1998
- Honorable Mention, Hamptons Film Festival
- 1999
- Honorable Mention Best Feature Film, Hamptons Film Festival
- 2000
- Nomination for Independent Spirit Award Best Debut Performance (Toby Smith in Drylongso)
- Independent Spirit Award, Someone to Watch Award.
- Best Feature Film at Los Angeles Pan-African Film Festival, Drylongso
- 2001
- Best Feature Film at Urbanworld Film Festival, Drylongso
- 2008
- Jury Award: Best Film, New Orleans Human Rights Film Festival
- James D. Phelan Art Award in Film, Video, and Digital Media
- San Francisco Foundation Creative Capital Award
- 2012
- Outstanding Artist Award, National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
- 2015
- Artadia Award
- Danish Jukniu First Prize Award, Tirana Open 1
- 2016
- Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, Film and Video.
- Ellsworth Kelly Award, Foundation for Contemporary Arts
- 2020
- Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize, Studio Museum, Harlem, New York
- 2022
- 27th Annual Heinz Award for the Arts
- Anonymous Was a Woman Award
Film Preservation
In 2016, Cauleen Smith's film Chronicles of a Lying Spirit by Kelly Gabron was preserved by the Academy Film Archive. This means it was carefully saved so people can watch it for many years to come.
