Nelson Smith

Nelson Smith is an artist based in central Kansas who was born in Detroit. He holds an MFA in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art. His work explores objects, images, language, and sound, and is held by the Museum of Modern Art's Artist Book Archive and the Detroit Institute of Arts. He spent the winter of 2025 as an artist-in-residence at Popps Packing in Hamtramck, Michigan, where he worked on the sound piece "Thank You For Having Me" and invited community voice contributions. Smith has taught at higher education institutions over a career of about 25 years and co-directed the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit. He co-founded the Mother's Milk Art Residency in Newton, Kansas.