TV show ‘Bel-Air’ is packed with Kansas City art. Here’s how you can get a piece of it
In the new TV drama “Bel-Air,” the character of Will Smith walks into the palatial home of his relatives and stands in awe. He is surrounded by Black art of differing styles, hanging on the walls throughout the mansion.
The new show, streaming on Peacock, may take place in California, but many of those paintings were created by Kansas City artists.
The series, which re-imagines the ’90s Will Smith sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” with gritty realism, is the brainchild of Kansas City native Morgan Cooper, who directed the first episode and is a writer for the show. (Smith is an executive producer; Jabari Banks plays his teenage character, who moves in with his rich uncle and aunt.)
Cooper is using some barbers, designers and musicians from the KC area, as well as several local Black painters to build the glamorous aesthetic via their art.
As Cooper said on Twitter Friday: “KC is in every episode of #BelAir — Thankful to provide a platform for the amazing talent in my hometown.”
Black art has deep roots in Kansas City, yet Black artists have struggled to make their marks in the local art scene, and the market for high-dollar paintings has been elusive. But doors are opening as new avenues are created.
With little access to the traditional outlets to sell their work, Black artists have broadened their bases through varied uses of their craft, such as paint and sip parties, murals, and commissions for painted portraits.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s current exhibit “Testimony” showcases works by Kansas-City’s African American Artists Collective, perhaps the museum’s first major exhibition of local Black artists.
Local artists have found more willing buyers at gallery shows and events such as First Fridays on 18th and Vine. And, thanks to “Bel-Air,” they’re also growing a national audience, primed to want such artwork on their own walls.
“In the ‘Bel-Air’ show you see art on every wall. It was everywhere,” says Warren “Stylez” Harvey, 34, a Kansas City artist. (One of his works appears in the first episode of “Bel-Air,” an African face painted with electric blues and muted oranges.) “When you care about your home and you want to create this energy or feeling, art is what you use as a visual reminder of who you are.”
Since having his art featured on “Bel-Air,” Harvey has seen an outpouring of support.
“The response has been all love,” he says. “As an artist you get used to getting in the flow and not realizing certain things as it’s happening, but the response has been beyond what I was expecting, and it felt good.”
Jason Wilcox, 39, has several of his paintings in “Bel-Air” standing in as artwork created by Will’s Aunt Vivian. He, too, has seen interest in his work jump.
“I try to keep a low profile and I am not a social media kind of guy, but it has meant a lot of engagement,” he says. “Mainly people checking to see if my art is for sale. Not just Black people, it’s people from outside the Black community and people who just want to buy art.”
Another reason for the success is a broadening of people’s definition of art.
“I am seeing a breaking free from your traditional European influences,” says Harold Smith, who has two paintings featured in the show: one in the dining room of the mansion and one in a record store. “Artists today are more unapologetic in their Blackness and more willing to create artwork that reflects their personal experiences.”
Here’s more about some of the Kansas City area artists featured on “Bel-Air,” and where you can find their work around town.
Warren ‘Stylez’ Harvey
Harvey has paid his dues and created a strong fan base with his vibrant colors and geometric shapes. He knew a long time ago that working a day job was not in the cards for his future.
“To be honest, of course it was something I loved, but at the time I was dealing with mental illness. I was dealing with anxiety and OCD and I chose happiness and peace. Working for someone else wasn’t making me happy,” says Harvey, a self-proclaimed anti-social loner and recluse.
Diving headfirst into an art form and relying on it as a primary means of income can be a troubling task.
“If I didn’t have a good support system, I don’t know if I would have been able to be a professional artist,” he says. “Having a mom who allowed me to stay in her basement, and not be distracted by a job and pouring my all into my art was huge.”
After displaying and selling his art at various venues including First Fridays on 18th and Vine, Harvey finally was able to get the breaks he needed by posting on social media and developing a substantial following.
“Art has become more accessible due to social media. It allows artists to have a larger reach,” Harvey says. “We aren’t needing galleries or the politics to become professionals. I’ve been able to get to where I’m at by being on the outside.”
Harvey created one of Kansas City’s Black Lives Matter murals, the one at 63rd Street and Troost Avenue. Harvey’s upcoming work includes a mural for the Black Movie Hall of Fame, under construction at 18th & Vine, as well as a gallery exhibit starting April 1 at 2000 Vine. He has work currently residing at Ruby Jeans Juicery.
“It’s all about exposure,” he says. “The quality of opportunities impacts an artist’s success. It might be difficult for Black artist to get in those rooms to sell art to someone who may have the means to buy your art for more money.”
“We put up barriers and walls of what is possible. The more you create and put your work out there the more opportunities will find you. The biggest challenge as an artist for me is getting people out of their heads and getting into their hearts.”
More info: iamstylezartistry.com
Jason Wilcox
It was one particular painting by Wilcox that got him in the “Bel-Air” door.
“I did a painting of Will Smith in the style of Basquiat,” he says. “That piece was bought, and the owner showed it to Morgan Cooper, and he loved it and they reached out.”
Having his work displayed on a national level has opened up an entirely new world for the Paseo Academy graduate.
“People have just started giving Black artists a chance from within our own community,” he says. “It takes a little longer for us to get the opportunities just to get your foot in the door to showcase your art.”
Like many painters in his circle, Wilcox is self-taught and never thought he would have the opportunity to paint full time. After 17 years working as a correctional officer, Wilcox knew it was time to step out and follow his dreams.
With his art featured on the show, Wilcox became an instant hit within the KC Black art scene, receiving more inquiries from fans asking about buying his art.
He does a large chunk of his promotion on social media, a tool that wasn’t available to the generation of artists who struck out before him. He is thankful to artists such as Harold Smith — “one of my favorite artists,” who helped create the African American Art Collective. “That group has been responsible for getting Black artists in spaces they normally wouldn’t be seen in,” says Wilcox.
Such as the Nelson’s “Testimony” exhibit.
More info: jartpro.com
Harold Smith
Smith, a retired Paseo Academy educator, now finds himself able to throw himself into his art.
His work is displayed at the above-mentioned Nelson-Atkins exhibit, which opened last June and closes March 27. He also has work being shown at The Studios Inc. gallery, 1708 Campbell St., as a part of his three-year residency there. His studio in the back of the building is packed wall to wall with hundreds of canvases of varying sizes.
“I have been in this studio just over a month. This is my first time having a studio outside my house,” says Smith, who has painted professionally for the past 20 years.
Smith knows being able to add a hit show like “Bel-Air” to his resume means an elevation in the status of his art. However, he understands that a big part of an artist’s success is based off the exposure the art can obtain.
“We need more galleries that are willing to show art by Black artists,” he says. “It all boils down to what the curators in the galleries choose to show. Recognition matters, representation matters.”
With few Black-owned galleries in the metro, Black artists have had to find alternative ways to display and exhibit their art. For many the environment you display your artwork affects the price a person is willing to pay for it.
“Art is an investment. It is a part of a certain lifestyle that Black people aren’t raised in,” Smith says. “Art sales depend on disposable income, and we need to do a lot of work in our community to teach people about that.”
More info: haroldsmithstudios.com
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
