The Walt Disney Family Museum is hosting a very special event with artist and former imagineer Nikkolas Smith. That name might right a bell to Disney fans as he was behind the beautiful mural of Chadwick Boseman and a child in a Black Panther mask that was in Downtown Disney District. During this special event, Smith will share about his work at the intersection of art and activism that is then used in multiple ways. Daps Magic has been given a code, ARTIVISM10OFF, that can be used for a $10 discount for those who want to attend.
Here are the details about this event:
Date: May 18, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Theater – The Walt Disney Family Museum
Price: $25 Members | $40 Adults | $30 Seniors & Students (w/ ID) | $30 Youths | Free for Children Ages 5 and Under (Registration Required)
Discount Code: ARTIVISM10OFF for $10 discount
Ticket Link: https://www.waltdisney.org/education/talks/artivism-artist-and-former-imagineer-nikkolas-smith
About the Event:
Join us for a special presentation by artivist Nikkolas Smith as he shares his work at the intersection of art and activism, creating illustrations for films, books, apparel, and campaigns for social change. Smith created illustrations that were used in Marvel Studios’ film Black Panther Wakanda Forever (2022) and designed movie posters for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther (2018) and Disney and Pixar’s Soul (2020). He is the creator of the 2023 Marvel Artist Series in collaboration with Target for an apparel line featuring Black superheroes. Prior to his current work as an illustrator and children’s book author, Smith designed theme parks at Walt Disney Imagineering for 11 years. Smith also illustrated the children’s book, Black Panther Wakanda Forever: The Courage To Dream (2022, published by Marvel Press), currently available for purchase in our Museum Store.
About Nikkolas Smith:
Nikkolas Smith is an artivist, concept artist, and children’s books author. Smith’s illustrations have been featured in several films including Warner Bros’ Judas and the Black Messiah and Space Jam: A New Legacy (both 2021), Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone (2023). He designed film posters for Miramax’s Southside With You (2016), Boom’s Stranger Fruit (2017), Marvel Studios’ Black Panther (2018), and Disney and Pixar’s Soul (2020). Smith received a Master of Architecture from Hampton University and designed theme parks at Walt Disney Imagineering for 11 years. He has written and illustrated the picture books such as The Golden Girls of Rio (2016, nominated for an NAACP Image Award), My Hair Is Poofy And That’s Okay (2017), World Cup Women: Megan, Alex, and the Team USA Soccer Champs (2019), and the USA Today bestseller The Artivist (2023). He is also the illustrator of #1 New York Times bestseller The 1619 Project: Born on the Water (2021), in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize®-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and award-winning author Renée Watson; I Am Ruby Bridges (2022), written by civil rights icon Ruby Bridges; Black Panther Wakanda Forever: The Courage To Dream (2022), authored by New York Times best-selling author Fred Joseph; and That Flag (2023), written by Tameka Fryer-Brown.
He is a proud 2016 White House Innovators of Color Fellow and the creator of the 2023 Marvel Artist Series in collaboration with Target for an apparel line featuring Black superheroes. As an illustrator of color, Smith creates captivating art that sparks important conversations in today’s world and inspires meaningful change. Many of his viral and globally-published sketches are included in his book Sunday Sketch: The Art of Nikkolas (2018), a visual journey on life and a collection of more than 100 sketches.
His works have been featured and shared worldwide, and have been a part of important campaigns for social justice and health equity organizations. Smith has been featured in pieces by TIME, People, BBC, CNN, The Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, ABC, Buzzfeed, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Guardian, NBC, KCET, CBS, Elle Italy, GQ Italy, Rolling Stone Japan, and many more. His art has been shared on social media by First Lady Michelle Obama, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Van Jones, Shaun King, Rihanna, Colin Kaepernick, Janet Jackson, Viola Davis, Jamie Foxx, Erykah Badu, Lupita Nyong’o, Kendrick Lamar, Tracee Ellis Ross, Ava Duvernay, Common, Simone Biles, Miley Cyrus, Mark Ruffalo, Amy Schumer, and many others. Smith also speaks at conferences and schools all over the country, and leads workshops in digital painting and character and movie poster design. Smith was born in Houston, Texas, and currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
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