Duane Smith

An illustrator working and living in Brooklyn, New York. He hopes his work will help show young African American kids that they are part of the larger conversation of american life. Smith believes that the main reason some black kids show no interest in reading is because they are not presented with stories that represent them, hence they cannot relate.

Smith’s works are often representational and one of his main goals is a reinvention of the status of the Black male in American society; expanding the public perception beyond what is seen in music videos and crime dramas.