Murals and Artist Information

Born and raised in Winnfield, Louisiana, Chadwick Smith began developing his talents at a young age, with his mother encouraging him to draw and create. It was nurtured by taking art classes from second grade up to graduating in 2010 from one of the top art schools in the country, College for Creative Studies (CCS)

By trade, Chad is an illustrator who dabbles in many genres of a, rt such as murals, illustrating books, graphic design, digital painting, portrait/life drawing, and teaching art classes; his artwork conveys pop culture and contemporary subject matter and looks to give a voice to the African-American experience in the United States.

Chadwick Smith is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based artist, and his work is in private art collections across the country. Chad also interned for two years at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History as a designer/fabrication apprentice, and had the unique opportunity to be the protégé of John Onye Lockard. Lockard was a master painter, muralist, and portrait/life-drawing artist who taught at Washtenaw Community College and in African-American Studies at the University of Michigan.

Furthermore, for the last decade, Smith has worked in many genres of art and is still willing to be a student of the arts. Maybe that’s one title every good artist is wise to hold onto as they move on in their art career.

Robin Speth is an artist and designer from Ann Arbor, MI. He attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, receiving his BFA in Product Design.

Curtis Wallace is a Black American artist from Ypsilanti, originally from Flint, Michigan, with more than 37 years of experience specializing in acrylic portraiture and community-based art. His creative journey has taken him through many spaces in education and service, including childcare, technology, and special education, where he used art to support learning and emotional growth.

T’onna Clemons is an Ann Arbor-based freelance painter. She has been traveling around the world for the past several years gaining experience in different mediums such as oil, gauche, acrylic, watercolor and welding. T’onna studied fine art at Eastern Michigan University and the Art Institute of San Francisco. She also studied art history at Arizona State University. Originally a graphic designer, she has used those skills to develop her own style of mixing media to create the futuristic textures that she is known for. 

After 15 years of painting, T’onna has developed a style that focuses on conveying and capturing the emotions of the African American experience in America. She has recently extended her range to wildlife and wilderness portraits. T’onna focuses on utilizing her educational background and life experiences to tell stories using texture and sharp images to garner conversations and to incite emotions. 

- From University of Michigan Gifts of Art Galleries