Kofi Bazzell-Smith
Future Faculty Fellow
Bio
Kofi Bazzell-Smith artist and educator, and the first professor of manga practice in the United States. His creative work spans manga, immersive exhibition, and multimedia storytelling, with a focus on speculative worlds, global exchange, and narrative experimentation.
Kofi is a 2025-26 United States-Japan Foundation Leadership delegate, a program that brings together rising leaders from the U.S. and Japan to foster dialogue and strengthen ties between the two countries.
He also serves on the board of directors for the US–Japan Bridging Foundation, a scholarship organization supporting American students studying abroad in Japan.
He is currently developing new programs in Japan to help U.S. students learn manga and Japanese language through immersive cultural exchange. Kofi's work is rooted in building bridges across art, language, and education.
Outside of the classroom and studio, He has been boxing for 16 years and turned professional in 2021.
Currently Teaching
In the News
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March 4, 2025
Manga Education Goes to College
NHK Japan features Kofi Bazzell-Smith, Future Faculty Fellow in the School of Art, as he discusses his work as the first professor of manga practice in the United States.
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July 30, 2024
Travel-enhanced game design and development course takes students to Japan
The two-week trip was the culmination of the Japanese Game Industry course, where students learned about the world’s third largest video game market. RIT students immersed themselves in the culture, participated in a game jam with Japanese students, and visited a major Japanese game studio.
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July 30, 2025
Bazzell-Smith speaks to Asia Society
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July 30, 2025
Bazzell-Smith interviewed by Japanese news
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December 5, 2024
RIT’s first professor of manga practice delivers talks in Japan