Vincent Smith's mosaic artwork showcases the nightlife, culture, and personalities from Harlem's heyday. “The Movers and Shakers” portrays sixteen Harlem visionaries in front of the important places in their careers: Edward "Duke" Ellington and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson at the Apollo Theater, Langston Hughes before the National Black Theater; and Zora Neale Hurston and Alvin Ailey at the Studio Museum. Nearby, Paul Robeson, Marcus Garvey and a young Thurgood Marshall appear. On the opposite wall, jazz pioneers are rendered as composite figures inspired by Smith's recollections of those who created the new sound. His musicians energetically play their music against a background of yellows, blues, and greens that hint at Africa and the Caribbean, inspiration for the rhythms and music that is jazz. The title, “Minton's Playhouse” refers to a popular jazz club Smith frequented.

Vincent Smith (1929-2003) was a Brooklyn native who decided to become a full-time painter in 1953, after being powerfully inspired by a Cezanne exhibition he attended at the Museum of Modern Art.   Previously, he had dropped out of high school to travel the country—hopping trains and working on the railroad in the south, before joining the army, and later returning to New York City to work for the postal service. He would go on to take classes at the Brooklyn Museum Art School and Skowhegan School of Painting in Maine, ultimately earning his college degree from the State University of New York, Saratoga, at the age of 50. His work is visually inspired by his love of music and the lively jazz club scene which he was immersed in as young man in New York, as well as the African art he discovered on his travels abroad later in life. Primarily serving as a visual document of the anti-Black violence, poverty, and fight for racial justice that were taking place around him in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, his work is known for its expressive, abstract figures, and highly emotive, dark, patterned backgrounds. At other times his work can be a playful, even comedic celebration of the energy, music and people of the communities that Smith knew well.