Press
Renowned Artist Creates Work to Benefit Local Organizations
New Orleans – World renowned American painter Mark T. Smith is venturing to New Orleans to synergize with local gallerist Angela King by assisting local organizations in efforts to rebuild the city.
With the help of King, Smith will be painting on pink material recycled from the Pink Project, the art installation that launched Make It Right, Brad Pitt’s foundation that is helping rebuild New Orleans Lower 9th Ward. Smith will POP (Paint On Pink) at the Angela King Gallery beginning October 13th through his stay in the city the 18th.
“Make It Right is thrilled that Mark T. Smith has chosen to paint on our pink fabric. The art he creates from our recycled fabric will be sold to raise funds for Make It Right,” said Executive Director Tom Darden. “We want to thank him for his generosity and his willingness to use art to lift the lives of families still working to rebuild their lives and community after Hurricane Katrina.
Smith and King are also teaming up to assist in a design concept used toward the construction of a Mardi Gras float which has been the dream of the seniors at the Priestley Charter School of Architecture and Construction. The seniors wish for their designs to come alive in the float with the intended theme of "Priestley Rebuilding New Orleans," as well as to have the school's seniors ride the float during a parade. Smith and King will serve as mentors to guide the students in the design process in making their dream come true.
In addition, Smith will create an original art piece to be auctioned during his show at the Angela King Gallery on Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Proceeds from the auctioned piece of work will be donated to the Priestly Charter School to go towards the creation of the Mardi Gras float benefitting the school.
About Mark T. Smith
Mark T. Smith has created work for Walt Disney, MTV and an Official 2008 Olympic Artist selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee. A prolific artist, he has hundreds of completed paintings and is constantly pushing himself to allow his style to evolve to better reflect himself and the culture in which he lives. Having established his signature look, Smith created an integral approach to art that fused the best elements of post-modernism with the best elements of modernism. The result is gravity-defying work that explodes with color, passion and strong display of workmanship.
About Angela King
Angela King is a California native but after 32 years considers New Orleans home. Her love of art and creative spirit guided her into the art world in the late 70's. She moved to NOLA to open a California craft gallery in 1977 that evolved into an art gallery by 1983, shifting to original paintings when she became a partner in '93. She then continued until 2006 when she started her own gallery post Katrina. Maintaining strong relationships with her gallery team and other artisans has proven to be the foundation of her success.
