Harold D. Smith, Jr. · Can You See Me?

I feel regular, hard-working, simple, black men are an ignored group. They are the new "invisible man." – Harold Smith

---

“Harold Smith’s artwork captures the immeasurable pain and unfathomable joy of the Black experience. His exuberant use of color, his technical mastery of visual improvisation (can you say jazz?), and his profound contemplation of subject matter make his work stunningly unique and necessary. His current exploration of ‘Black on Black’ – a use of only black paint to create textured portraits of Black men – is at once an incredible demonstration of technique and a searing commentary on race relations in America. Harold Smith is a man for our times and an artist worthy of international recognition.” – Glenn North, poet

“I think the media sometimes creates polarizing imagery of Black men. Either you are an Obama, or you are a thug. In my opinion, regular, hard-working, simple, Black men are an ignored group. They are the new ‘invisible man.’” – Harold Smith, artist

Smith, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, holds an MA in teaching from Webster University and taught game design at the Manual Career and Technical Center in Kansas City, Missouri. He earned his undergraduate degree in computer science and worked for years as a computer programmer; these skills are evident in his numerous online publications, from UrbanKore to catalogs of his work. Beginning this fall, Smith will teach art at Lincoln Middle School in Kansas City, Missouri.