Harry Belafonte

ART & SOUL at W Los Angeles Westwood

by Brian Smith on November 2, 2011

in Exhibits

Celebrity portraits from ART & SOUL will be on exhibit in the lobby of the W Hotel Los Angeles Westwood for the month of November  2011. Featured in the exhibit are portraits of Anne Hathaway, Samuel L Jackson, Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Alyssa Milano, Kerry Washington, Cheryl Hines, Dana Delany, Tim Daly, Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, Harry Belafonte, Lynn Whitfield and Chris Botti. Please stop by to check the beautiful prints from Duggal…

Samuel L Jackson ART & SOUL print in the lobby of the W Hotel Los Angeles Westwood - November 2011Dulé Hill ART & SOUL print in the lobby of the W Hotel Los Angeles Westwood - November 2011

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ART & SOUL AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

by Brian Smith on October 6, 2011

in Books

After two years and over 25,000 photographs, my first book, ‘Art & Soul: Stars Unite to Celebrate and Support the Arts’ is NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON. Just in time for National Arts Month, ART & SOUL is a wonderful way to support the arts. A generous portion of the proceeds from the book will go to advocate funding of the Arts and Arts Education through The Creative Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating its members on issues of public importance.

Through generous support from Sony, the ART & SOUL arts advocacy project features my portraits of artists from the entertainment industry accompanied by handwritten personal testimonials from each artist expressing the importance of the arts education in our culture and the positive impact the arts has on our lives. The project was twice taken to Capitol Hill to rally support for funding the arts and arts education.

Artists photographed for ‘Art & Soul’ include Adrian Grenier, Adrien Brody, Alan Cumming, Alfre Woodard, Alyssa Milano, Amanda Peet, Anne Hathaway, Barry Bostwick, Ben Vareen, Chazz Palminteri, Cheryl Hines, Chris Botti, Dana Delany, David Hyde Pierce, Debi Mazar, Dule Hill, Eddie Griffin, Jr., Ellen Burstyn, Evan Handler, Fisher Stevens, Harry Belafonte, Hill Harper, J. Alexander, James Denton, Jamie Kennedy, Jason Ritter, Jesse Williams, Joe Mantegna, Joel Schumaker, Josh Radnor, John Turturro, Kelsey Grammer, Kerry Washington, Lynn Whitfield, Marlon Wayans, Matthew Modine, Melissa Manchester, Mo’Nique, Oliver Platt, Omar Epps, Patricia Arquette, Paula Abdul, Peter Gallagher, Richard Belzer, Samuel L Jackson, Spike Lee, Steven Weber, Taraji P Henson, Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, Tony Bennett and Wendie Malick.

ART & SOUL is the cornerstone of a grassroots campaign to focus national attention on the need to ensure that arts in America thrive and flourish. A preview of the project was shown at the Library of Congress in May 2010.

ART & SOUL is a wonderful way for those of us lucky enough to make a living from the arts to have an opportunity to show our support and give back.

Order yours today at: http://amzn.to/saveart

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Julia and Me in Elle Magazine!

by Brian Smith on September 2, 2010

in Hype

In what ranks as possibly the most unlikely statement of an outrageously lucky career, Julia Roberts and I are in the September 2010 issue of Elle Magazine. Julia is on the cover where she belongs but the massive 562-page issue also spotlights my ‘Art & Soul’ celebrity portrait project that I photographed for The Creative Coalition with the generous support of Sony.

The spread in Elle previews a few of the images of creative artists Jimmy Smits, Alyssa Milano, Samuel L Jackson, James Denton, Spike Lee, Harry Belafonte, Taraji P Henson, Portia Doubleday, Debi Mazar, David Hyde Pierce, Jesse Williams, Tony Bennett, Dayna Mendoza, Kim Kardashian, Kerry Washington, Miss J Alexander, Marlon Wayans and Taye Diggs in the project that showcases the importance of support for the arts and arts education.

Big THANKS to all the Creative Artists who have lent their voices to this cause and to Sony and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. for their support!

Elle Magazine feaures Brian Smith's portraits of celebrities photographed for 'Art & Soul'

Click here for a PDF of Brian Smith in Elle Magazine.

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ART & SOUL Goes to Congress

by Brian Smith on April 20, 2010

in Exhibits

Mr. and Mrs. Smith Go to Washington

A beautiful day in Washington at the Library of Congress

Anne Hathaway in the Library of Congress 'Art & Soul' Exhibit

The Creative Coalition will host an exclusive one-night-only sneak preview of my portraits of performing artists from the entertainment industry with an exhibit of the ‘Art & Soul’ project in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress on April 29th. ‘Art & Soul’ is the cornerstone of The Creative Coalition’s arts advocacy campaign to focus national attention on the need to secure federal funding and support for the arts.

Entertainment for the evening’s star-studded event will be The Creative Coalition’s one-night show by the same name, ‘Art & Soul’.  The show, written and produced by multiple Emmy Award-winning producer Tom Fontana (Oz, Homicide:  Life on Street) starring Co-Presidents of The Creative Coalition, Tim Daly (Private Practice) and Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives); director Spike Lee (Do The Right Thing); actors Adrian Grenier (Entourage), Omar Epps (House); Marlon Wayans (White Chicks, Scary Movie),  Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm); Steven Weber (Brothers & Sisters); Wendie Malick (Confessions of a Shopaholic, Just Shoot Me);  Richard Schiff (The West Wing) and CCH Pounder (Avatar) among others to be announced.

The portraits of artists including Anne Hathaway, Samuel Jackson, Alyssa Milano, Tony Bennett and Kerry Washington are accompanied by handwritten personal testimonials from each individual, expressing the positive impact art has had on their lives which will appear in a book to be published by Filipacchi Publishing. The exhibition is sponsored by Sony and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and it will showcase 20 photographs from the project printed by Duggal Visual Solutions.

“We are proud to enlist the members of The Creative Coalition to bring arts to the top of the American agenda,” said The Creative Coalition Executive Director Robin Bronk. “Art & Soul is The Creative Coalition’s initiative that brings together today’s greatest artistic voices and storytellers to illuminate the importance – to every American — of support for the arts and efficacy of arts in education.”

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ART & SOUL Spotlighted on Production Paradise

by Brian Smith on February 16, 2010

in Hype

Thanks to Production Paradise for Spotlighting the Art & Soul Project. It’s been a great project to be able to work with The Creative Coalition and all the artists to show support for funding the arts and arts education. Thanks of all to all the celebrities including Samuel Jackson, Anne Hathaway, Adrian Grenier, Taraji P. Henson, Dule Hill, Tichina Arnold, Tony Bennett, Alyssa Milano, David Hyde Pierce, Tim Daly, Lynn Whitfield, Harry Belafonte, Richard Belzer, Robert Davi and Tamala Jones….for lending their voices to this great cause and their wonderful faces to my camera!

If you have checked out Production Paradise, take a look…they’re the directory and showcase for the visual media industry.

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