MJS image of Prophet in front of a painting he did for me titled “Resurrection.” The painting is now in the collection of a collector in St. Paul, MN.My friend, Prophet William Joshua Blackmon passed away last month. Here’s the link to his obituary, which ran in yesterday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. My dear friend & art history mentor, Jeffrey Hayes, is quoted in the article. Several years ago Jeffrey, our friend Paul Phelps and I put together what to date is the largest retrospective exhibition, catalogue and exhaustive document of Prophet’s art and life. It was a traveling exhibition that was initially shown at the Haggerty Museum of Art in Milwaukee. I brought it to the Rahr West Art Museum a few years ago as well, and Paul, who owns the largest collection of Prophet’s work to be found, spoke at the opening.
I spent a lot of time with Prophet back in the mid- to late-1990s and even wrote a feature article about him for Milwaukee Magazine. He was a true original, an amazing individual. It seemed as though every word he spoke, every action he performed, every minute he was awake, was entirely devoted to God. His was a life predicated on holiness. He shared visions and conducted healings that had a direct and intimate impact on my family. He intervened and, I believe, healed my daughter Jesse (or, as he would surely declare, “God healed her, Brother Smith. I’m just a servant. All praise and glory go to God.”)
As the center of aforementioned exhibition and historical document, he was also unintentionally responsible for one of the best, most uplifting and just plain fun projects I’ve ever been involved in. That project also further cemented a friendship between two of the dearest friends I’ll ever have, in Jeffrey and Paul. So, I’m grateful to Prophet William Blackmon for a number of things. He enriched my life, enhanced my friendships, added to my art appreciation and gave me a ton of great stories to tell.