BALTIMORE — Insanely Dope Designs. That's the signature you'll see at the bottom of all of Reginald Lewis' work.
Dope is an acronym that stands for dedicated on purpose every day.
Lewis has done work all over the city, last year he worked with kids in the Youth Works program to create murals in their communities.
Now, the self-taught artist has work in the Reginald F. Lewis Museum (more on the similar names in a second).
Both pieces of art are meant to "speak to the history and legacy of African American culture."
The first piece is an image of George Floyd. It shows rowhomes behind him and he's holding up a sign that says "I am a man."
His eyes are covered by a hashtag that reads his name.
"I was actually able to have my piece selected for the museum, which was really a big opportunity for myself... the thought process was bridging the gap between the history as well as present day," Lewis said.
It was created in 2020 shortly after George Floyd died and now it lives in the museum.
"Your name is Reginald Lewis, right? And then you're in the same museum with the same title, but that's gotta feel insane," we asked.
"Absolutely. It's insanely dope," Lewis said before he started laughing.
"I really don't even have the words for it, but I definitely understand the magnitude and the duty that I have as a visual artist with the same name," he added.
This duty he referenced lead to a collaboration between the museum and CIAA back in February.
"CFG Bank Arena actually was in touch with the Lewis Museum...so they wanted to create a food menu that really told a story, and I think I was such a great fit based on that same mission being able to tell a story through what we do," Lewis explained.
The piece is of an African American woman in grey with vibrant colors in the background.
"We wanted to create a piece that represented African American culture but also spoke to the food item that they created. I definitely wanted to convey and exemplify those elements in the piece, but also create something visually appealing for the modern crowd as well."
Lewis intentionally made a Black woman the focal point of this piece because they've been instrumental in his success.
"I really wanted to speak to my story as an African American male from Baltimore City who was raised by a single mother."
This wasn't always the journey he saw himself on. Initially, Lewis was pursuing a career in pharmacy but wanted to make a change.
"Honestly, I never thought this for myself. I can say that the impact that I thought I would have as a pharmacist was a lot smaller than the impact that I'm having now as an artist."
Lewis hopes to stay committed to his vision and continue to have a positive impact on other Baltimore artists.
He has some work coming up at Artscape and other murals that he'll be working on around the city, as well as future collaborations with the museum.
"I never planned this, but now that I'm here, I'm thankful that I did make those sacrifices and stay dedicated on purpose every day because I'm living a dream that I never believed in, as a self-taught artist. "
