“Seeing eyes and hearts open up when my art is viewed is one of the main things that makes me proud to be an Artivist.”

Illustrator Nikkolas Smith is always creating. Whether he’s working on children’s books, creating movie posters, or teaching workshops in schools and universities, Smith pushes his creativity to the limits. Personally, he’s also highly involved in what he’s termed “artivism.” Using his art as his voice, Smith often publishes work that highlights racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement.

This work began many years ago and came to national attention when he created a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. wearing a hoodie as a way to tie the Civil Rights leader to Trayvon Martin. From there, he’s only continued to make his point, most recently drawing moving portraits of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.

As an illustrator of color, Smith is deeply committed to using his craft in order to highlight the diversity of our world and ensure that the lives that have been lost will not be forgotten.[…]

More: Illustrator Uses Art to Give a Voice to the Black Lives Matter Movement