Malcolm Smith

Malcolm Mobutu Smith is an associate professor of ceramic art at Indiana University Bloomington. His work at the intersection of drawing and sculpture is guided by improvisation, where pottery and vessel forms merge volume with graphic flatness. His clay work is inspired by the intersections of graffiti art, comic books and playful organic abstraction driven by his passion for hip-hop and jazz. Smith’s professional activities include workshops, lectures and residencies, including visits to Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts and the Robert McNamara Foundation. His works are represented in numerous private and public collections, including The Luise Ross Gallery in New York City, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, FuLed International Ceramic Art Museum in Beijing, China, and Indiana State Museum. He earned his MFA from the New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1996 and studied at both the Kansas City Art Institute and Penn State University, receiving his BFA in ceramics in 1994.

Areas of Expertise

Ceramics, fine arts, graffiti art, hip-hop culture, comic books.

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