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 passed away. 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 at a church. These experiences helped Smith understand the challenges 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, Smith joined the Marine Corps. He spent two years serving in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1968 due to an injury and received a Purple Heart medal.
After his military service, Smith faced many personal struggles. After 18 years, he found his true calling as an artist. He began to use his life experiences and wisdom to create art. He even started using the title "Dr." for himself, like someone with a PhD, because of his many years of study and life lessons.
Art Career and History
Charles Smith's art often shows important moments in Black history. He creates these scenes using concrete and other materials he invented. His artworks are mostly outdoors. In 2000, he helped start the Algiers Folk Art Zone & Blues Museum with artist Charles Gillam Sr.
Aurora, Illinois Art Museum
In 1986, Smith began working on his home in Aurora, Illinois. He spent 14 years creating an amazing outdoor art environment there. He felt that God told him to make art to help him deal with his feelings.
He built sculptures and monuments to remember moments in Black history and the fight against racism. He started by sharing his own experiences as a US Marine Corps veteran. His art tells stories from before American slavery up to today. He turned this outdoor space into a non-profit museum called the African American History Museum and Black Veteran's Archive.
His Aurora site grew to include 600 sculptures and 150 fixed pieces. The Art Institute of Chicago recognized his museum as a special "Millennium Site" in 1999.
Smith's art is part of the permanent collection at the John Michael Kohler Art Center. The Kohler Foundation bought 448 of his artworks from his Aurora site in 2000. About 200 of these pieces are still in the Art Center's collection.
Smith still has a connection to Aurora, Illinois. He set up a foundation to help care for the site after he left. Even though parts of the property have faced challenges, the remaining sculptures still tell powerful stories that attract visitors. Mamie Till, Emmett Till's mother, even wrote Smith a letter thanking him for his impactful work.
Hammond, Louisiana Art Site
In 2002, Smith was traveling to New Orleans to help his mother. On his way, he stopped and found a gravestone for an "Unnamed Slave Boy" in Hammond. This discovery inspired him to move to Hammond, Louisiana. There, he started 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 have the words "Trust God" written on them.
Art Shows 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 for a gallery setting. It also included large photos of his African-American History Museum + Black Veterans’ Archive. Some of his sculptures showed famous people 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 art 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 2017-18. His exhibition for this series was chosen as the number two "Best of 2017" by Art Forum magazine.
In 2018, Smith's art was 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 this exhibition.
In 1995, Charles Smith's sculptures and his African/American Heritage museum in Aurora, Illinois, were featured in an exhibit called "Straight At The Heart." This show was at The Wright Museum of Art, Beloit College, in Beloit, Wisconsin.
How He Creates His Art
Smith uses metaphor, symbolism, news stories, historical events, and his own life experiences in his sculptures. He creates detailed art environments. Visitors can walk around his pieces, following the paths he has made for tours. His art often includes life-sized dioramas.
Besides his own experiences, his main goal is to help heal the world. He does this by teaching people about Black history through his art. His art installations are always changing as Smith creates new pieces. He once said, "Everything moves along as God moves me. He shows me how to do it, where to put it, and how to build it."
One of his famous works is Middle Passage. He made it from large rocks, broken concrete, and wood. It tells the story of Black people in Africa, their journey through the Middle Passage, and into slavery. This artwork was installed in Aurora, Illinois. The sculpture acted like a protective border for his art environment. It also included images from the Civil Rights Movement, with figures that were almost life-sized.
Most of his art is made from found materials. He covers armatures (frameworks) with a cement mixture and then paints them. He calls the natural look his sculptures get from being outdoors "weatherization."
Sergeant Ramey was a sculpture placed on the roof of his 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 also hopes to install art at certain points along I-55. These 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.
About His Life
Smith was married in 1964. He later became an ordained minister. He served as a pastor at God's House of Prayer and Holiness in Memphis Tennessee.
Much of his work, besides his sculptures, involves helping people. He has supported other Vietnam veterans. He has also worked with the Congressional Black Caucus on issues related to Agent Orange. He was also involved with Jesse Jackson's PUSH coalition.
