The Arts & Business Council, Blackbird Media, and F&M Bank have teamed up to present the Artist of the Week on The Nashville Sign. This week’s featured artist is Shadale Smith!
Shadale is a Nashville native and self-taught painter creating work that expresses her perspective on social justice and the need for awareness of equality and positivity. She uses bold colors in her paintings to capture viewers’ attention, makes collages that address specific areas of culture to spark necessary conversations, and includes text in her work to encourage positivity. Heavily inspired by our youth, Shadale’s main goal is to bring awareness to the need for the arts, particularly among younger generations.
“My art is a representation of the areas of improvement I feel need to be zoned in on, be it social issues, youth development or just positive influence…Incorporating expressive art and restorative practices can bring awareness to the needs of a community and encourage healing.”
Shadale was introduced to art at a young age and was heavily influenced by family and artist mentors in her artistic development and expression. These relationships were the impetus for the passion she holds for visual arts to this day. She attended Tennessee State University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing.
In her capacity as an artist mentor for several youth groups, Shadale encourages young artists to create and develop a discourse for the things that interest them. She was recently featured in The Nashville Scene for her work on the collaborative project “Reflections,” and through the support of the Creative Girls Rock Foundation, she worked on the Slim n’ Husky Rollout Mural on Buchanan Street. Shadale contributed to the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) mural at their headquarters in Antioch and participated in “Let’s Color Nashville,” a 2021 initiative that transformed the plywood covering the shattered windows on 2nd Avenue into canvasses for works of art.
Shadale explains that painting is her therapy and her way of self-expression. She hopes that every encounter between the viewer and her work provides enlightenment, encouragement, and inspiration for them to tell their own stories.
See Shadale Smith’s work on Instagram at @art_by_shadale.
Want to be featured on The Nashville Sign? Visual artists working in any medium, who are members* of the Arts & Business Council at the Basic Level ($30 annually) or above, are eligible to apply for Artist of the Week on The Nashville Sign.
*Those unable to become members due to financial barriers can be granted a waiver. Contact us at info@abcnashville.org to be confidentially considered for a waiver.