Dianne Smith – The Beat I

2023, Montana paint markers on wood panel

ABOUT DIANNE SMITH

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With a career spanning decades, Dianne Smith has established herself as a trailblazer in contemporary art, constantly pushing the boundaries of creativity. Her innovative approach to artistic expression has been showcased in a myriad of group and solo exhibitions traversing diverse themes and mediums.

Dianne Smith's artistic journey has left an indelible mark on prestigious institutions, including The Bronx Museum, where her solo exhibition "Two Turntables and a Microphone," celebrating fifty years of Hip-Hop, captivated audiences. She showed in "Visions for Our Future, Echoes of Our Past" at the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design, and her work was featured in "The Way We Remember" and "Uptown Triennial" at the Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University. She collaborated with Carl Hancock Rux as costume and scenic designer for "I Dream a Dream that Dreams Back at Me" and "To a Garden Luxuriously Verdant (Enameled with Countless Flowering)" at Lincon Center for the Performing Arts, and "Archer Aymes Lost and Found Retrospective: A Juneteenth Exhibition" at Park Avenue Armory. She has shown at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture numerous times with installations such as "Re:Harlem."

As a testament to her artistic prowess, Dianne Smith has been honored with the Nancy Graves Foundation Awards Grant and was bestowed with a Fulbright from The United States Consulate General in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Her work has found homes in collections, such as The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Brodsky Organization, The Bronx Museum, and the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art.

Beyond her artistic endeavors, Dianne Smith has enriched academia and public engagement. Her papers are archived in the Barnard College Library Archives and Special Collections. She is a Senior Artistic Associate at Mabou Mines, contributing to the cultural landscape. Additionally, she has shared her knowledge and passion as the Director of Public Engagement at the Allentown Art Museum and as an adjunct professor at The City College of New York's Education Department.

A Bronx native of Belizean descent, Dianne Smith's art is deeply rooted in her cultural heritage. She earned her Master's in Creative Practice (MFA) from Transart Institute via the University Plymouth, U.K., Berlin, Germany, enriching her practice with diverse global perspectives.

Currently residing and working in the vibrant neighborhood of Harlem, New York, Dianne Smith continues to weave together the threads of her artistic exploration. Her work is a testament to multidisciplinary art's power to transcend boundaries and engage with the complexities of the human experience.

Dianne Smith's unwavering commitment to pushing artistic boundaries and fostering dialogue positions her as a force in contemporary art, leaving an enduring impact on those who encounter her work.