Frank Smith

Frank Smith, a native of Chicago and former Howard University professor, received his BFA from the University of Illinois in 1958 and his MFA from Howard University in 1972. In 1973, he became a member of AFRICOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists). The artistic ideology of AFRICOBRA springs from the ethos of African American and Pan-African spiritual and political culture. Smith's work is improvisational, and it embraces colorful geometric forms and African inspired symbols and imagery. The versatility of Smith's works on canvas and paper gives way to the formation of two-dimensional soft sculptural images derived through an extemporaneous process of draping. By working on several pieces simultaneously, Smith combines disjointed rhythms and syncopated patterns of paint and mixed media by sewing the canvas or paper together. Bright zigzag stitching joins colorful patches of painted patterns and found objects. Smith has had more than seventy exhibitions in museums and galleries across the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean. His works can be found in many public, private, and corporate collections including the DuSable Museum, Hampton University, Morgan State University, Washington Convention Center, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the Oakland Museum in Oakland, California.