Kevin “mr. soul” Harp
Bio:
Kevin “mr. soul” Harp is a graphic artist, illustrator, painter and mentor born and raised in Cleveland’s Lee and Harvard community. His work is informed and shaped by his childhood experience, which are familiar influences that have claimed the lives and freedoms of many urban youth. There was a lure of fast money gained through drug distribution and other criminal activity, but there was another driving force within him, art.
He became affiliated and a member of Cleveland’s most elite graffiti crew, D.E.F. (Doin’ Everything Funky), which later evolved into C.S.T. (Cleveland Scribe Tribe) and was mentored and guided by the city’s proclaimed “king” Sano. mr. soul’s desires to make something of himself enabled him to break out the circle of complacency, deterred him from the many negative influences, and form a straight line to his goals.
He brought his formative artistic experience in graffiti art and design with him to Atlanta and established his career in Atlanta’s music scene during the late 90’s and early 2000’s via Patchwerk Recording Studios. Here, he made a name for himself as one of the most sought-after graphic artists, working with Beats By Dre, Def Jam and a long list of affiliated recording artists and athletes who have grown to national and international brand recognition.
He became a founding member of the art collective “City Of Ink” along with Miya Bailey, Tuki Carter and several other multi-disciplinary artists. Through City Of Ink, mr. soul helped to build a foundation for underserved creatives in Atlanta. Over the past 11 years through an effective grassroots movement, community and customer support, City Of Ink has become the model and central platform for people to engage in the experience and business of visual art.
Today mr. soul is back in Cleveland with purpose to help create opportunities for other artists as he has done before, but now in his hometown. Among his initiatives, he served as a member of the “Support for Artists Planning Team” assembled by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture to create an agenda to serve historically excluded artists and their communities in the public arts funding sphere. He is currently using his 20 year experience with City Of Ink and applying the model to his Cleveland Skribe Tribe to help young aspiring artists.
mr. soul adheres to what his childhood taught him, that a proper knowledge of self combined with passion and purpose will open doors. His mission speaks to perseverance, faith in oneself, and seeks to use art as a vehicle to create more conversations about social justice and the lack of equality in society’s institutions.
Power Quotes:
“To us power is, first of all, the ability to define phenomena, and secondly the ability to make these phenomena act in a desire manner.”
Huey P. Newton
“Power is the ability to have people do what you want them to do.”
Fred B. Ward
Creativity is my Super Power. It’s my ability to fly through the sky like Superman, or scale buildings like Spiderman. My art tools are like Wolverine’s adamantium claws.
Art and design are the phenomena within my control that I have identified as gifts, to be used in a variety of manners that will help me to influence people to do what I want or need them to do.