Melvin R. Smith

Melvin R. Smith (b. 1941) is an Oklahoma City native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran who found his artistic voice through collage in 1983 after earning a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota. Working across collage, sculpture, and mixed media, Smith transforms found objects — junk-yard steel, car parts, salvaged materials — into powerful figurative works. His art draws deeply on the history of Saint Paul's demolished Rondo neighborhood and African-American heritage. A 2019 McKnight Visual Artist Fellow, Smith's work is held by the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Weisman Art Museum, and other major collections. He and his wife Rose co-founded the Oklahoma Museum of African American Art.