Between Harlem and
Between Harlem and Me are a series of images from my most recent body of work. The montage overlays my photos with images from the Schomburg's archives. I have been documenting changes and the impact of gentrification in my Harlem community since the 1990s. I need to normalize Black and Brown life in America absent of the white gaze. I document my community as I see it and connect between its past and present while developing a conversation with its future.
Dianne Smith, 39 East, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, A Day Out In The Neighborhood, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, There No More, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, Another Sunday Outing, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, Church Ladies, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, Dairy’s Choice, Shea Butter, Burger King and Things, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, Family on Lenox Avenue, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, Sunday Fun Day, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Harlem Ladies, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Harlem Strut, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, King and Queen, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Lil Fellas, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Lil Man, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith,, Market Day, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Mom then and now, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Mama, archival 2021, digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Pretty Red Dress, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Queens, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Red Cap and Roses, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Red Ensemble, 2021, archival digital pigment print
Dianne Smith, 2021, Street Vendor, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Errand Day, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith, 2021, Re:Harlem, 2021, archival digital pigment print, 20 x 20
Dianne Smith
Born: Bronx, NY 1965
www.diannesmithart.com info@diannesmithart.com
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2020 STUFF: a celebration of Ntozake Shange's for colored girls, Milstein Center, Barnard College, New York City, Curated by Sou Leo.
2019 Jankunu Come Out, Governors Island, New York, Curated by Savona McClain.
2017 Dianne Smith, Twisted Woven Tied, Materials for the Arts, Long Island City, NY, Curated by Dianne Smith.
Dianne Smith, Re: Harlem, Artist and the Archive, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem Triennial, New York City, Curated by Sou Leo.
2016 Dianne Smith, Intersections, ReFind Gallery, Allentown, PA, Curated by Dianne Smith. Dianne Smith, Intersections, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA, Curated by Dianne Smith.
Dianne Smith, Intersections, 724 ReFind Gallery, Allentown, PA, Curated by Dianne Smith.
2015 Dianne Smith at Long Gallery, Sol Studios, New York City. Curated by Lewis Long.
2013 Dianne Smith, No Limits, Harrison Museum of African American Culture, Roanoke Virginia, Curated by David Mickenberg.
2012 Dianne Smith, Surface & Soul, Piedmont Arts, Martinsvlle, Virginia, Curated by Brandon Adams and Dianne Smith.
2011 Within Shadows Cast, Piedmont Arts, Martinsvlle, Virginia Where Are We Now, Piedmont Arts, Martinsvlle, Virginia. Syllogisms, RFA Gallery, New York City. Curated by Dianne Smith and Paula Coleman.
2006 Live Artfully, Kalahari, New York City.
2005 My View: A Black Girl’s Thoughts on Canvas, Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas. Curated by Garbo Hearne. Dianne Smith, ZZAJ, Philadelphia, PA
2003 The Duplicity of the Proletariat, UFA Gallery, New York City. Curated by Carol Sims and Lawrence Finney.
2002 Unbroken, UFA Gallery, New York City. Curated by Carol Sims and Lawrence Finney.
Unbroken, Diggs Gallery Winston Salem State University, Winston Salem, North Carolina. Curated by Belinda Tate.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 Visions for our Future; Echoes of our Past: Dianne Smith, Nyugen E. Smith, and Carl Joe Williams, The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, Portland, ME. Curated by Jordia Benjamin and Ashley Page
2021 The Way We Remember, Curated by Holger A. Klein, Lisa and Bernard Selz Professor of Medieval Art History, The Wallack Art Gallery, New York City.
Dionne Warwick : Queen of Twitter, Newark Arts Festival, Hahn & Co, Newark, Showing Out: Fashion in Harlem , Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture, Harlem, NY.
The Meating Point, 2 Gansevort , Curated by Danny Baez, of ARTNOIR and Regular Normal, New York City.
2020 Uptown Triennial 2020, Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, New York City
Unbought & Unbossed: Reclaiming Our Vote, Go Tell It on The Mountain, National Black Theatre, New York City St. Marks Afternoon, Printed Matter St. Marks, EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in Participation with Housing Gallery Screening, New York City Creative Climate Awards, Human Impact Institute, Brooklyn, NY.
Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion, and Joy Through Fashion, Nordstrom NYC, in partnership with Long Gallery Harlem, New York City, Curated by Souleo.
2018 I found God in Myself, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, MI Curated by Souleo.
Early Encounters, Colonels Row 404, Governors Island, NY. Curated by Savona Bailey McClain.
100 Works, Electropositive, Brooklyn, NY. Guided by Derrick Adams and curator Oshun Layne.
2017 I found God in Myself, City Without Walls, Newark, NJ. Curated by Souleo.
I found God in Myself, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Houston, TX. Curated by Souleo.
2016 I found God in Myself, The African American Museum in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. Curated by Souleo.
2015 The 21st Century Artist is a Nomad, I Wonder as I Wander, Flux Art Fair, New York City. Curated by Leanne Stella.
2014 I found God in Myself, Schomburg Center for Research In Black Culture, New York City. Curated by Souleo.
2012 Afro Syllogisms, Transformers: A Coiled Potential, Atewlierhof Kruezberr, Berlin, Germany.
“Romare Bearden: 20th Century American Master”, A Project of the Romare Bearden Foundation. Developed and produced by Full Spectrum Experience, Inc, New York City. Curated by Danny Simmons and Brian Tate.
2011 Collaborations: Two Decades of Excellence, The Delta Cultural Center, Helena, Arkansas. Curated by Garbo Hearne.
2010 Dash Gallery, New York City. Curated by Alaina Simone.
Woman’s Work: 20 Emerging and Mid Career Artists, Avisca Fine Art, Marrietta, Georgia.
Stand Up II: Individualism in a Collective State, New York City, Tilford Art
Curated by Terrell Tilford.
Collaborations: Two Decades of Excellence, South Arkansas Arts Center in El Dorado, Arkansas.
2009 Collaborations: Two Decades of Excellence, Chattanooga African American Museum. Curated by Garbo Hearne.
2008 Collaborations: Two Decades of Excellence, Pyramid/Hearne Fine Art: 1998 2008, Little Rock, Arkansas. Curated by Garbo Hearne. Daughters of The Diaspora, Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas. Curated by Garbo Hearne.
2006 Harmony Designs, Mount Vernon, New York.
Abstract Artist, Johnson Byrd Gallery, New York City.
Abstract Expressionism: A Sublime Experience, West Harlem Art Fund, Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavillion, New York City. Curated by Savona Bailey McClain.
Abstraction, Corridor Gallery, Brooklyn, New York. Curated by Danny Simmons. Tilford Art Group, Los Angeles, California. Curated by Terrell Tilford.
2005 Art Show, Colours Fine Art, New York City. Asake Bomani and Leslie Powell. Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas. Curated by Garbo Hearne.
Artjaz Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Arterior, Contemporary African, Caribbean and Latin American Art, Off The Main, New York City, Curated by Leslie Powell.
2004 National Black Fine Art Show, Kenkeleba Gallery, New York City. allu’sion, Rongio Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.
2003 Celebrating Black Women Visual Artist of the 21st Century, Los Angeles, California. Curated by Terrell Tilford. Rush Fine Arts, New York City. Curated by Danny Simmons
Unbroken, Celebrating Black History, The Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ, Curated by Carol Simms.
National Black Fine Arts Show, UFA Gallery, New York City, Curated by Carol Simms.
2002 No Greater Love: Abstraction, Jack Tilton Gallery, New York City, Curated by Jack Tilton.
Myriad Eyes, Women in Photography, SUNY Empire State College Metropolitan Center Gallery, New York City.
Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas. Curated by Garbo Hearne. Believe, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Hackensack, New Jersey. Curated by Carol Sims
UFA Gallery, National Black Fine Arts Show, New York City. Curated by Carol Sims.
NAC, Rush Fine Arts, New York City. Curated by Danny Simmons.
Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Art (MOCADA), Brooklyn, NY
2001 NAC, The Center for Arts & Culture, Skylight Gallery, Brooklyn, New York.
Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Art (MOCADA), Brooklyn, NY, Gale Martin Gallery, New York City.
2000 Celebrating Black History Month, The Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
Celebrating Black History Month, Bergen Regional Medical Center, Paramus, NJ
Women in the Arts, Simone’s Gallery, Pelham, NY City Hall, Mount Vernon, New York.
COLOR, Chicago Black Fine Arts Show, Gale Martin Gallery, Chicago, IL Iandor Fine Art, Newark, New Jersey. Curated by Tarin Fuller.
UFA Gallery, New York City. Curated by Carol Sims. Gale Martin Gallery, New York City.
1999 Entitled: Black Women Artist at The Skylight Gallery, Center For Arts & Culture, Brooklyn, New York.
Ain’t No Figuring (Abstraction), Corridor Gallery, Brooklyn, New York. Curated by Danny Simmons.
Select Public Art & Installations
2021 Black is Beautiful, Video Projection, Portland, ME.
2020 Black Lives Matter Street Mural Harlem, Harlem, NY Uptown Parade Photo installation, Uber Eats and Urban Umbrella, Harlem, NY.
2015 Flash, Synched: Under the Viaduct, The West Harlem Art Fund, New York City. Tug of War, Under the Viaduct, The West Harlem Art Fund, New York City.
2013 Dazzle, Play Lab, The West Harlem Art Fund, New York City.
No Limits, Harrison Museum of African American Culture, Roanoke, VA. Organic Abstract, Bartow Pell Mansion, The West Harlem Art Fund, Bronx, NY.
Connections, Select Art Fair, Art Basel Miami, Miami, Florida.
2011 Loosely Coupled, The West Harlem Art Fund, Governor’s Island, New York City. Gumboot Juba, The West Harlem Art Fund, Armory Arts Week, New York City.
2009 Remix/Repurpose, PARK(ING) Day NYC, West Harlem Art Fund, New York City.
Productions
2021 Costume Design, I Dream a Dream That Dreams Back at Me: A Juneteenth Celebration, Curated by Carl Hancock Rux, Featuring, Nona Hendryx, Kimberly Nicole, Vernon Reid, Helga Davis and Toshi Reagon & BIG Lovely, Original Lyrics by Lynn Nottage, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City.
Costume Design, CROSSROADS: The Watermill Center’s Summer Festival, led by Carrie Mae Weems, in collaboration with Robert Wilson, Watermill, NY.
2019 Set Design, A Walk Into Slavery, directed by Dr. Indira Etwaroo, Director of the Billie Holiday Theatre, Brooklyn, NY.
Select Awards and Commission
Nancy Graves Foundation Awards Grant Recipient , New York City, 2021.
I Dream a World, Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art @ The Enclave, New York City, 2016.
Public Art, Festval de Artes al Aire Libre, Museo Municipal de Guayaquil Ecuador, Fulbright, 2013.
Til Now We Stand at Last, Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York City, Sponsored by the Bicentennial Anniversary Committee, 2007.
Select Residencies
Indigo Arts Alliance, Artist in Residence, Portland, ME, Spring 2021. Wave Hill Winter Workspace Program, Artist in Residence, Bronx, NY, Winter 2021. Sesquehanna Art Museum, Visiting Artist, Harrisburg, PA, 2018. Materials for The Arts, Artist in Residence, Long Island City, NY, 2017. Allentown Art Museum, Pennsylvania Council of the Arts Long Term Residency, Allentown, PA, 2016.
Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop SIP Fellowship, New York, NY, 2015. School of Visual Arts Residency, Painting and Mixed Media, New York City, 2008.
Private Collections Include
Dianne Smith Papers Barnard Archives and Special Collections, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Brodsky Organization, Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, Danny Simmons, Vivica A. Fox, Rev. Dr. & Mrs. Calvin O. Butts, III, Terry McMillan, George Faison, Tasha Smith, Asake Bomani, Reginald Van Lee, and the late Dr. Maya Angelou, Arthur Mitchell and Cicely Tyson.
Select Lectures/Panels
Panelist, Invisible No More, International Sculpture Conference, New York City, 2021.
Panelist, Unbought & Unbossed A conversation: Part 3, National Black Theatre, New York City, 2020.
Panelist, Twisted, Woven, Tied, Art & Activism: Nourishing Conscious Communities , School of Visual Arts School of Continuing Education, New York City, 2020. Panelist, Harlem Renaissance 100 Virtual Salon: Styling, Harlem One Stop, New York City, 2020.
Panelist, Shuga & Wata, Black Figuration, Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, Asbury, NJ Co Convener/moderator, The Wallach Art Gallery Columbia University, The Uptown People’s Assembly, New York City, 2020.
Panelist, Jill New House Gallery, A Rounded View: Artists of Color Discuss the Works of European Masters, New York City, 2020. Lecture, Red Rooster Harlem, Art, Eat, Drink, Artist Talk Series, New York City, 2019. Lecture, University of Montevallo, Living and Working as an Artist in New York City, Montevallo, AL, 2016.
Panelist, Silicone Harlem, The Digital Canvas: Next Generation Creative Artistry, New York City, 2015.
Panelist, NYC State of the Art
Conference Panelist: What more can be done to facilitate NYC artists selling art?, New York City, 2010.
Moderator, Panel Discussion Longevity and Sustainability in a Global Market Place, Hearne Fine Art, 2008.
Lecture, Hearne Fine Art, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2007. Lecture, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, New York City, 2006.
Lecture, UFA Gallery, New York, New York City, 2003. Lecture, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Hackensack, New Jersey, 2002. Lecture, Winston Salem State University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 2002. Lecture, Harlem Book Fair, New York City, 2001.
Teaching
Adjunct Lecturer at City College of New York (CUNY) Department of Teaching Learner and Culture, 2015.
The Center for Art Education, New York City, 2011. Lincoln Center Education, New York City, 2005 2015.
Professional
Director of Public Engagement, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA, 2016 19.
Education
Transart Institute, Masters in Creative Practice (MFA), Berlin, Germany, 2012.
Thesis: Trash Class, Consumption and The Politics of Race Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City, 1985 86.
Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California, 1983 84. Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, New York City, 1983.
Bibliography
Smith, Dianne. “STUFF.” STUFF | Barnard Library, library.barnard.edu/stuff.
Bowling, Suzanna. “What To Watch October 21st To Take Away The Blues.” Times Square Chronicles, 20 Oct. 2020, t2conline.com/what to watch october 21st to take away the blues/. “Flagship Nordstrom Store Puts Black Art Front and Center in New Exhibition.” Nordstrom Puts Black Art Front and Center in New Exhibition, www.ny1.com/nyc/all boroughs/news/2020/09/23/flagship nyc nordstrom store puts black art front and center in new exhibition.
Patterson, William. Twisted, Woven, Tied, Artist Dianne Smith Makes New Art with Used
Materials. 13 Sept. 2020, sva.edu/blog/continuing education/twisted woven tied.
“Bagels and Broadway 9 12 20 (Art & Activism Special) Bagels and Broadway with Valerie Smaldone.” Enterprise Podcasting Made Simple Omny.fm, omny.fm/shows/bagels and broadway with valerie smaldone/bagels and broadway 9 12 20 september 11th special.
“Work Begins on Black Lives Matter Street Mural in Harlem.” ABC7 New York, WABC TV, 4 July 2020, abc7ny.com/black lives matter symbol of hate mural in nyc trump calls a fifth avenue/6295085/.
Smith, Dianne. “UPTOWN PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY: FACING THE RAGING PANDEMICS.” Wallach Art Gallery | Columbia University, 12 June 2020, wallach.columbia.edu/events/uptown peoples assembly facing raging pandemics.“A Rounded View: Artists of Color Discuss the Works of European Masters.” ArtfixDaily, http://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/1098 a rounded view artists of color discuss the works of european mas, 2020.
“Celebrating a Powerful Legacy: Martin Luther King Jr. Events in the Lehigh Valley.” Mcall.com, 18 Jan. 2019, www.mcall.com/news/local/mc ent martin luther king day lehigh valley 20190108 story.html.
Rachel Midey, Domestic Violence Survivor Turns Abuse into Art in Harlem, www.newyorkminutemag.com, 2017.
Naeisha Rose, Material for the Arts offers recycled materials throughout NYC, www.timesledger.com, 2017. Miles, Kenneth, et al. “Kenneth Miles.” Brick City Live, Kenneth Miles Https://Brickcitylive.com/Wp Content/Uploads/2018/07/Brick City Live Logo White Red.png, 9 May 2019, brickcitylive.com/art/andaiye/dr ntozake shanges seminal work gets a gallerys worth of consideration in new exhibit/.
Erickka Sy Savane, How Getting Physically Assaulted by An Ex Boyfriend Led Dianne Smith To Create A Telling Work of Art, www.madamenoire.com, 2017 Maximilíano Durón, Columbia University Starts ‘Uptown’ Triennial for Artists Living and Working in Upper Manhattan, www.artnews.com, 2017 Molly Glentzer, Identity and inspiration on display in 'i found god in myself', www.houstonchronicle.com, 2017.
Erickka Sy Savane, Artist Dianne Smith’s Powerful Tribute To Ntozake Shange’s Poem, www.Ebony.com, 2017.
Erickka Sy Savane, How Dianne Smith Turned A Domestic Violence Incident Into Art, www.Essence.com, 2017. Circa, This organization turns trash into incredible works of art, www.circa.com, 2017. Alley Olivier, Tackling identity by using art, www.carribbeanlifenews.com, 2017. Zachary Kussin, How to (almost) live at a museum, nypost.com, 2016.
Harry Fisher, PICTURES: Allentown Art Museum artist in residence Dianne Smith, www.themorningcall.com, 2016.
Tim Higgins, Dianne Smith's 'Intersections' exhibit: Telling stories of Allentown residents, www.themorningcall.com, 2016.
“PICTURES: Artist Dianne Smith's Exhibit Intersections at Allentown Art Museum.” Courant.com, Hartford Courant, 7 Oct. 2016, www.courant.com/mc pictures artist dianne smiths exhibit is called intersections at allentown art museum 20161007 photogallery.html. exhibit is called intersections at allentown art museum 20161007 photogallery.html.
Andrew LaSane, Harlem Will Host Its First Ever Contemporary Art Fair Next Week, www.complex.com, 2015.
Rodney, Seph, et al. “An Art Exhibition 'for Colored Girls'.” Hyperallergic, 1 Dec. 2014, hyperallergic.com/165337/an art exhibition for colored girls/.
Henry Blaukopf, A People's History of Harlem: A Harlem Neighborhood Oral History Project, www.nypl.org, 2014 shakur, By fayemi. “40 Years of 'for Colored Girls...':Loving Ntozake Shange Fiercely.” EBONY, 17 Dec. 2018, www.ebony.com/entertainment/40 years of for colored girls loving ntozake shange fiercely 400/.
Demetria Irwin, NYC’s Motown to Def Jam art exhibit celebrates the legacy of black music, www.thegrio.com, 2013.
Mike Allen, Race, history reflected in Harlem artist’s work, www.roanoke.com, 2013.
Rachel Feinstein, Artist Spotlight: Dianne Smith Knows How to Paper a Room, www.artsobserver, 2012.
Zagat Spotlight on Harlem, Clinton Foundation, Other Neighborhood Highlights, Arts and Entertainment, Dianne Smith Arts, 2009/2010.
Angie Hancock, The Virtuoso Dianne Smith, What’s New in Harlem, New York Living Magazine, February/March 2009.
Elizabeth Fasolino, Contemporary Lessons, The East Hampton Star, July 2008. Dianne Smith, Narrator’s View, Lincoln Center Institute, Picasso: What is the Artist’s Voice?, 2008.
Dianne Smith, Narrator’s View, Lincoln Center Institute, Mary Whalen: A Night Sonnet So Far, 2007.
Dianne Smith, Afterward Collaborations Two Decades of Excellence, Collaborations: Two Decades of African American Art, Hearne Fine Art Catalogue, 2008.
Open House NYC, NBC, LX TV, New York City, 2008. Lerone D. Wilson and Nonso Christian Ugbod, Boondoggle Films Documentary, Colored Frames, 2006. New York Times, Harlem Celebrates, August 2006.
Essence Magazine, Living Well Home Special, September 2004. Flo Wiley, WCHR FM 90.3, City College Harlem Community Radio, New York, City, 2003. Cheryl Washington, Good Day New York, New York City, 2002.
Ambrose Clancy, Washington Post, Life Styles In Harlem, Washington, District of Columbia, 2002.
Soho Art Journal, New York City, 2002. Cheryl Washington, Channel 5 News, New York City, 2002. Disappearing Acts, HBO & Adelphi Pictures, 2000.
Sunny Smith, Bronxnet Cable, Bronx, New York, 1996. The Noel Scott Report, New York City, January 1995.
Di Smith’s “Lips and Hips” on Display, The New York Beacon, New York City, February 1995.
Charles Rogers, Different Stages The New York Amsterdam News, February 1995. Charles E. Rogers, Di Smith’s “Unmasked Lips”, Different Stages The New York Amsterdam News, March1995.
“Art in Motion”, The New York Amsterdam News, June 1995. The City Sun, “Unmasked Lips & revealing Hips”, New York City, 1995. Barbara Fenton, Tell Me Something Good, Manhattan Cable, New York City, 1995. WBCR, Brooklyn College Radio, Brooklyn, New York, 1995.