Arvie Smith grew up in Texas and Los Angeles, California before receiving his undergraduate degree from Pacific Northwest College of Art in 1984. He received his master of fine art degree from Maryland Institute College of Art studying under Grace Hartigan in the Hoffberger School of Painting. He returned to Portland where he taught at the Pacific Northwest College of Art from 1984 until becoming Professor Emeritus in 2014. Smith's paintings, prints, and public murals are sympathetic and powerful depictions of marginalized members of society that aim to counter negative stereotypes of African Americans. His paintings are in the collections of numerous museums, universities, and private holdings, and he is a recipient of a 2020 Painters & Sculptors Grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation.
