About

We cultivate artists.

The Smith Family Foundation MMXXV is a Kansas City–based 501(c)(3) public charity built around one belief: artists are not found, they are formed. The foundation cultivates artists — aware of themselves, relentless in seeking, and fearless in becoming — through mentorship, public programming, and sustained institutional presence.

Its guiding ethos is Self. Seek. Become. SELF — awareness and identity: know who you are before you make. SEEK — curiosity and mastery: pursue the knowledge and craft the work demands. BECOME — action and transformation: bring the work into the world. The cycle is continuous, and it runs through everything the foundation does.

The foundation’s instrument is the Smith Family Collection: contemporary art by women and artists of the Black, Asian, and Latino diasporas — exhibited, loaned, and gifted to museums to build the institutional record. Its media program is ArtMoves Midwest, the foundation’s podcast and video series in conversation with artists, curators, and cultural voices.

• Integrity in expression
• Dedication to growth
• Respect for community
• Courage in creation
• Awareness of impact

“We don’t just fund art. We cultivate artists — aware of themselves, relentless in seeking, and fearless in becoming.”

Who leads