Dr. Charles Smith facts for kids
Dr. Charles Smith (born in 1940 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a talented artist, historian, activist, and minister. He lives and works in Hammond, Louisiana. His amazing sculptures tell stories about African and African American history.
Quick facts for kids
Dr. Charles Smith
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Artist Dr. Charles Smith
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Charles Smith
November 11, 1940 |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Sculpture Art Environments Installation Art |
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Charles Smith was born in New Orleans in 1940. When he was 14, his father died in a terrible event caused by racism. His mother then moved him and his two sisters to Chicago. They lived in a diverse area called the Maxwell Street District.
A year later, in 1955, his mother took Charles to see the body of Emmett Till. These sad experiences helped Charles understand the serious problem of racism in the United States.
In 1964, Smith worked two jobs to save money for a home. He worked for Trans World Airlines and as a postal carrier. In 1966, he joined the Marine Corps. He spent two years serving in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1968 because of an injury. He received a Purple Heart medal.
He faced health problems from his time in the war. He also had difficult feelings and memories from his experiences there. After 18 years of struggle, he found his true calling as an artist.
Besides his formal studies, Smith gained a lot of wisdom from his life experiences. He began using the title "Dr." for himself. This showed that he had a deep understanding of life, like someone with a PhD.
Art Career and Projects
Charles Smith's art often shows parts of Black history that he feels are forgotten. He creates scenes and important figures using concrete and other materials. His artworks are usually placed outdoors. In 2000, he helped start the Algiers Folk Art Zone & Blues Museum.
Aurora, Illinois Art Environment
In 1986, Smith started working on his home in Aurora, Illinois. He spent 14 years creating an amazing art environment there. He said that God told him to make art to help with his sadness and anger. He built sculptures and monuments to remember important moments in Black history and to show the effects of racism.
He started with his own experiences as a US Marine Corps veteran. He then documented history from before slavery up to the present day. He turned his outdoor museum into a non-profit organization called the African American History Museum and Black Veteran's Archive. His Aurora site ended up with 600 sculptures and 150 fixed pieces. The Art Institute of Chicago recognized his museum as a special Millennium Site in 1999.
Smith is one of only three living artists whose work is part of the John Michael Kohler Art Center's permanent collection. The Kohler Foundation bought 448 of Smith's artworks from his Aurora site in 2000. About 200 of these pieces are now in the Art Center's permanent collection.
Smith still has a connection to Aurora, Illinois. He set up a foundation to help take care of the site after he moved. Even though the first property faced some challenges, the remaining sculptures still tell a powerful story that attracts visitors. Mamie Till, Emmett Till's mother, even wrote Smith a letter thanking him for his impactful work.
Hammond, Louisiana Art Museum
In 2002, Smith was traveling to New Orleans to help his mother. He stopped to rest and found a gravestone for "Unnamed Slave Boy" belonging to Peter Hammond. This discovery inspired him to move to Hammond, Louisiana. There, he created his second art environment and a new museum.
The house at his Hammond site looks like ancient Egyptian buildings and tombs. It is painted boldly in black and white. The steps leading to the front door say, "Trust God."
Art Exhibitions and Collections
In 2022, Dr. Smith had his first solo art show in New York City at White Columns gallery. This show featured 29 new sculptures made just for the gallery. It also included large photos of his African-American History Museum + Black Veterans’ Archive. Some of his sculptures showed famous figures like Phyllis Wheatley, Gordon Parks, Diana Ross, Iceberg Slim, Paul Robeson, and Mother Consuella York.
Smith's artwork is part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
His work was also shown in an exhibition called Life, Liberty & Pursuit of Happiness at the American Visionary Art Museum in 2010.
In 2017, he gave talks at the African American Men of Unity in Aurora. He also spoke at The Road Less Traveled conference in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. His art was sold at a benefit event for the New Orleans Botanical Garden in 2017.
His work was part of The Kohler Art Center's 50th Anniversary exhibition series, The Road Less Traveled, in 2017-2018. His exhibition for this series was chosen as the number two "Best of 2017" by Art Forum magazine.
In 2018, Smith's work was included in a show called Chicago Calling: Art Against the Flow. This exhibition featured 10 artists and was held at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. Other artists in the show included Henry Darger, Gregory Warmack (known as “Mr. Imagination”), Joseph Yoakum, and Lee Godie. Smith was the only living artist in that exhibition.
In 1995, Charles Smith's sculptures and his African/American Heritage museum in Aurora, Illinois, were featured in an exhibit. This show, called "Straight At The Heart," was at The Wright Museum of Art in Beloit College, Wisconsin.
Important Artworks
Smith uses metaphor, symbolism, news stories, history, and his own life in his sculptures. He creates detailed art environments. Visitors can walk around his often life-sized dioramas. His goal is to help heal the world by teaching people about Black history through his art. He constantly changes and adds to his installations. Smith said, "Everything moves along as God moves me. He shows me how to do it, where to put it, and how to build it."
Middle Passage was made from large rocks, broken concrete, and wood. It showed the journey of Black people from Africa, through the Middle Passage, and into slavery. This artwork was placed in Aurora, Illinois. The sculpture acted like a border for his art environment. It also included images from the Civil Rights Movement, all with figures that were almost life-sized. Most of his work is built from found materials. He covers them with a cement mixture and then paints them. He calls the way the sculptures change from being outside "weatherization."
Sergeant Ramey was placed on top of his roof at the Aurora property. It is a memorial to one of Smith's close friends who died in combat. This memory is very important to Smith.
Smith wants to teach young Black people about their history. He hopes to have his artwork installed along certain points of I-55. This would remember the Great Migration and his family's move from New Orleans to Chicago. Each site would share lessons about Black history and offer healing.
Personal Life
Smith was married in 1964. His marriage ended after he returned from the war in 1968. Besides his sculptures, Smith is also an ordained minister. He was a pastor at God's House of Prayer and Holiness in Memphis, Tennessee.
Much of his work, beyond his art, involves helping people with their emotional well-being. He has supported other Vietnam veterans. He also worked with the Congressional Black Caucus on issues related to Agent Orange. He was involved with Jesse Jackson's PUSH coalition.
