Curtis Gerhardt is a native of Little Rock, Ar. At an early age he discovered he possessed formidable skills in various artistic techniques and mediums. Throughout elementary and high school, teachers and classmates relied on him to create bulletin boards, banners and murals. Their appreciation of his artistic talents encouraged him to spend countless hours honing his craft.
He began his formal training at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff majoring in Fine Art. He also formed G.wizz creations, a graphic design company specializing in T-shirt designs and company logos for branding and advertisement. He moved to Atlanta, Ga. in 1998 to study graphic design at the Art Institute of Atlanta and immediately put his artistic skills to work for LaFace Records. In 1999 he began working with the city of Atlanta Parks and Recreation and the Bureau of Art and Cultural Affairs educating and encouraging art in Atlanta youth. He is also a former Graphic Design Instructor for the Fulton County School Dist and Art Instructor for the city of Atlanta Camp Best Friends, a summer camp program targeting underprivileged inner city youth.
Gerhardt is a featured artist in the Starbuck’s Artist to Watch campaign which displays local artists works at various Starbucks locations in the metro Atlanta area. His work was also featured in the national stage play tour of "The Sam Cooke Story; A Change Gone Come". He participates in an annual one man show sponsored by the American Cancer Society Golf Tournament as well as the Georgia Teachers Association Teacher of the Year presentation sponsored by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. A collection of his work was also on display for the Black Community Developers Anniversary and Award Presentation. Black Community Developers is a community outreach program based in Little Rock, Ark.
Curtis Gerhardt currently lives in Atlanta and continues to paint subjects that speak to the viewer’s everyday experience, keeping the viewer engaged, excited and anxious to see the next piece. In his words…" I want to give the person who sees my work to walk away with something to remember and talk about."
