Gold medal around his neck, fist in the air.
Nearly 52 years ago, that image graced television screens worldwide and Tommie Smith was immortalized.
His 1968 Olympic Games protest in Mexico City with fellow San Jose State student-athlete John Carlos sent shockwaves through the athletic world and forever intertwined the pair with American sports culture.
Smith spoke to a crowd of about 120 people Tuesday night at the San Jose Museum of Art with Glenn Kaino, a Los Angeles-based conceptual artist.
Over the hour-and-fifteen-minute conversation, the pair shared stories about their pasts and discussed “With Drawn Arms,” a 2013 art exhibition currently displayed in the museum located a few blocks from SJSU.
“I didn’t think I’d live right after the games,” Smith said when asked if he thought his impact would be remembered half a century afterward. “I believe there was a divine purpose for me to do what I did and to continue in believing that if I could, you could. Or anybody could.”
Kaino said he was always inspired by Smith’s symbolic protest, but never thought he’d get a chance to work with Smith.
“I had a small, like a 3 by 4 inch version of it taped to the corner on an iMac in my studio,” Kaino said. “A friend walked up into my studio and pointed at it and said ‘Oh coach Smith! Want to meet him?’ ”
Kaino flew to Atlanta where Smith resided at the time and the pair hit it off quickly. After that, he asked Smith to come to Los Angeles to work on the project.
“Of all of us in the world, Tommie is the only person who didn’t see the salute,” Kaino said. “He only saw from the inside of the salute out . . . That [thought] started this journey.”
Smith’s personal journey as an international icon and activist manifested, “With Drawn Arms.”
“[It was a] touchpoint moment, looking at the exhibit,” said SJSU Athletic Director Marie Tuite. “I would recommend everyone get a chance to walk through. It’s breathtaking.”
The centerpiece of the exhibit is “Bridge,” a “100-foot long construction made from casts of the arm of athlete Tommie Smith,” according to Kaino’s website.
Dozens of clenched and gloved fists are suspended by string, resembling a bumpy roller coaster track. The shiny gold paint reflects the lighting nicely, glistening like the medal Smith won in 1968.
“Bridge over troubled waters,” Smith said in a documentary clip shown at the discussion. “That’s what I envisioned when I saw it because of those hundreds of arms. My arm . . . The arm that caused so much change.”
For those that want a taste of the change Smith created, there’s “Invisible Man: Tommie Smith.” It’s a three-dimensional sculpture of Smith during the salute faithfully recreated.
The front is a mirrored silhouette, and standing in front of it provides a sobering reflection of the viewer, putting them in Smith’s shoes.
“That’s one of my favorite objects that [Kaino] created in this whole picture of Tommie Smith and his moving forward,” Smith said.
“With Drawn Arms” will remain at the San Jose Museum of Art until April 5. After that, Kaino hinted at big plans in the works for Smith’s protest to be seen at another Olympic Games.
“We are hatching some plans right now,” Kaino said. “Hopefully there will be a viewing for some athletes because there’s something happening in the summertime over across the pacific.”
