Another Lesson In Black History…Who Was Considered To Be The First African American Jewelry Designer?
Arthur Smith was labeled as the first African American Jewelry Designer during the mid-20th century.
Showing artistic talent at a young age, Arthur received a scholarship to Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. After graduating in 1940, he enrolled in a jewelry-making class at NYU where he learned the basic technique of jewelry making. It wasn’t until he met Winifred Mason, that he began to focus and truly develop his true artistic skills. He begin applying the techniques he learned to his own personal creations.
He soon opened his own shop in Greenwich Village in 1946, later relocating to 140 West Fourth Street which proved to be a boost to his career. It allowed him to market his products to higher-end shoppers, causing his creations to be in high demand. Arthur was able to establish business relationships with Bloomingdale’s and other stores around the U.S. He also received coverage in Vogue, Harper’s Bazzar and he was mentioned in The New Yorker.
Arthur made cufflinks for Duke Ellington which included some notes of Ellington’s 1930’s “Mood Indigo.”
“A piece of jewelry is in a sense an object that is not complete in itself. Jewelry is a ‘what is it?’ until you relate it to the body. The body is a component in design just as air and space are. Like line, form, and color, the body is a material to work with. It is one of the basic inspirations in creating form.”
In 1969, he was recognized with an exhibition at the New York’s Museum of Art and Design (then Museum of Contemporary Crafts).
Arthur “Art” Smith died in 1982 due to heart failure.
For more on Art Smith visit here
Source: brooklynmuseum
Frugal Flirty N Fab
Such a Great Black History Month post! Before this post I’d never heard of Arthur Smith! Glad I have now! Amazing Pieces!
Holly
Learn some new things everyday. Great post. I have never heard of Arthur, but it is amazing to see what he has done and how he started.
Stacie
Love these pieces! I’d wear these today!
Siobhan (BeFree Project)
Wow! What beautiful statement jewelry. Again you taught me about an African American whom I’ve never heard of. I shared your post from last week with my 10 year old daughter and she enjoyed reading about the first black fashion designer.
Siobhan
http://www.befreeproject.com
Carin Kilby Clark
I’m truly loving these black history lessons… you really do learn something new everyday! Thanks so much for sharing.
Nay
His pieces are so detailed. Thank you for sharing, we definitely need more of this. #BlackHistory
Ariel
I did NOT know this! Such beautiful pieces. Thanks for this education.
Mimi "MimiCuteLips" Green
I am loving the history lessons. I hate that I don’t know this stuff. This one was particularly fascinating.
Christine @MomsNCharge
Wow, I hadn’t heard of him. Thank you so much for sharing! His pieces are absolutely stunning. Love learning new pieces of our history.
Valerie robinson
Loving this post and the lesson! Never heard of him, but now I know!
KEisha
It’s crazy how I’ve never heard of him before. I tend to wear jewelry from time to time but this is GOOD black history!
Nicole
This is an awesome BHM post! For sure learned something new and loved the Duke Ellington reference one of my favs.
T. Espinoza
Oh wow! I’d never heard of Arthur Smith before but these pieces are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing this!
Miss Jamila
T. EspinozaThanks for stopping by ?
Jacqui
Wow! His jewelry is so beautiful, it’s detailed and so defined…..
Yes! Definitely a work of art!
Miss Jamila
JacquiYes, I agree. Thanks for stopping by!
Noriecreates
Another great posts!
Miss Jamila
NoriecreatesThanks!