by KT Hawbaker (MA 2017)

As a kid, multidisciplinary artist Elgin-Bokari T. Smith (BFA 2009) liked to draw comic book characters.

The battle of good against evil inspired him—and today, he uses his own superpowers to create meaningful creative spaces for youth. For the St. Louis native, art has always been a deliberate action that merges experimentation, collaboration, and vision. From teaching at the Gary Comer Youth Center to organizing Pocket Con, a Black-led comics convention born on the South Side of the city, to leading Stomping Ground Literary Arts Initiative, an arts and literacy incubator for youth who are under-resourced and criminalized, Smith’s career exemplifies how School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) graduates can leverage their skills to build and advocate for their community.

How did your experience at SAIC shape your work?

SAIC gave me the freedom to refine my artistic craft. I went to a performing arts high school and could always draw. When I began looking at colleges, I wanted a school that would challenge me and give me space to try out different media—and that's something that SAIC offered. 

I built my experience around graphic illustration courses such as 2D animation, comics, fashion illustration, and ceramic sculpture. It was so much fun. I wouldn't have been able to try out so many mediums if I had gone to more of a straightforward art program. SAIC is also a very competitive school [with students] from different financial and cultural backgrounds. If you can convince your peers of why your work and art is relevant, you have the potential to succeed anywhere.

It sounds like you’ve naturally embraced trial and error as part of your practice.

Most definitely. When I first went to SAIC, I was primarily a comics illustrator. Still, I do a bit of it all: visual arts, creative writing, and audio production. The freedom of living in the dorms and meeting more multifaceted artists made me feel confident enough to explore more creative outlets, such as hosting open mics and even DJing, which I still do.

“I am a firm believer in being the change you want to see.”

How have you channeled that kaleidoscope of practices into Stomping Grounds?

Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative (SGLAI) is my new organization, which took form in 2021. Before then, I worked as a teaching artist and was promoted to the Free Write Arts and Literacy program director, which was dissolved. Their work was focused on teaching youth visual arts, creative writing, audio production, and justice literacy inside the Cook County Juvenile Center. As executive director of SGLAI, I now continue this work and have even expanded into Illinois youth centers in Warrenville and Chicago.

I got the opportunity to work for Free Write fresh out of college in 2010 after finishing my internship with Theaster Gates (HON 2014). He was supposed to be the ceramic instructor, but he offered me the position to run the class for him. Free Write eventually hired me based on the class's success. I taught courses in comics, animation, sculpture, music production, and, eventually, creative writing. Around the same time, I was teaching in the art room of the Gary Comer Youth Center, the birthplace of my comic book convention, Pocket Con, the only free Chicago comic book convention that celebrates characters and creators of color, which just completed its 12th year. 

SGLAI also hosts a monthly open mic at the Chicago Art Department, where we prepare youth to perform professionally. Young folks also take a workshop led by the night's featured artist. The DJ and sound production team at all SGLAI live events are our former incarcerated students trained to run sound while confined. The multifaceted environment of SAIC prepared me for all the work I do on Stomping Grounds today.

Tell me more about the outcomes of the project.

Stomping Grounds gives youth the space and opportunity to get their feet wet. We cultivate incubator spaces for creative learning. I was lucky to have a very supportive mom who found the resources to see my artistic career flourish. As a young man privileged enough to attend a prestigious high school and college, I must give back, whether working with young people in the community or behind incarcerated walls. I want to do my due diligence to help cultivate the next generation of creators and thinkers. 

Stomping Grounds is also a way of consolidating all of my creative endeavors into one space. From the comic book convention to the classes and workshops to the open mic, even my personal music production, it all falls under one banner. Everything about the pedagogy and prospectus of SGLAI's work has my stamp on it. I had a hand in creating everything that happened within the organization. I also want to support my colleagues and students I have worked with for many years. I am a firm believer in being the change you want to see.

What’s the best advice you’d give someone starting their career?

Know your worth, and don’t be afraid to take chances. “You never know where life will lead you, but you must trust,” I wrote in every new journal I had in college. Trusting those words has led me to some of the most unique opportunities. Trust in your abilities. Always look for what your clients are missing and how you can add to it.

Most importantly, never stop practicing. I chose SAIC because it allowed me to explore my creativity. Keep that love for the craft in your spirit, and cultivate it as you explore the paid-gig life. Balance is key. ■