Public Talk: TK Smith

Join us for a talk with independent curator, writer, and cultural historian TK Smith on the enduring issues surrounding self-taught artists. In dialogue with the current exhibition Jon Serl: As One, As Many, which repositions the work of self-taught painter Jon Serl (b. 1894, Olean, New York; d. 1993, Lake Elsinore, California) beyond the categories of “outsider art” and “folk art,” Smith will discuss the broader “folk art fever” phenomenon, the problems and potentials of the “self-taught” label, and the effects of that label on how such art moves through the world.

According to Smith, the labels we now problematize, such as “folk artist” and “outsider,” as well as terms like “naive” and “primitive,” reflect a history of classification that positions self-taught artists as instinctive, emotional, and spiritual, as opposed to socially constructed and market-driven producers. The work of these artists is often used to define a racial, regional, or national aesthetic and identity beyond the confines and conventions of the academies of fine art and European influence.

Following Smith’s presentation, he will engage in conversation with exhibition curator Ziying Duan, followed by a Q&A. This program is free and open to all; no prior registration is required.

About the speaker

TK Smith is an award-winning independent curator, writer, and cultural historian. He most recently served as Curator, Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora, Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. Previously, Smith served as Assistant Curator: Art of the African Diaspora at the Barnes Foundation. Smith’s writing has been published in exhibition catalogues, academic journals, and periodicals, including Art Papers, where he is a contributing editor. He is a past recipient of the Andy Warhol Arts Writers Grant and was awarded the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Prize in art writing in 2024. He has been a visiting lecturer at numerous academic and cultural institutions, including Cornell University. Smith is a doctoral candidate in the History of American Civilization program at the University of Delaware, where he is completing a dissertation entitled “Granite, Power, and Piss: The Transformation of a Confederate Symbol.”