Art Gallery exhibiting work by Syracuse artist

"Lawson Smith Selected Works: 1976-2006," a retrospective look at the career of the Syracuse University artist, sculptor and educator, will open with a free public reception on Friday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in the Rockefeller Arts Center Art Gallery Lobby. 

The exhibition of sculpture, sketches and drawings will remain on display through Sunday, March 19, supported by the Faculty-Student Association Program Fund and The Friends of Rockefeller Arts Center.

"After the Tornado," a sculpture by Lawson Smith, is shown in photo.
 
The opening event will be preceded by Mr. Smith's lecture appearance on Thursday, March 2 at 8:30 p.m. in McEwen Hall as part of the Visiting Artists Program.  Admission is free and open to the public. 
 
Known for his unique ability to infuse color and imagination into otherwise familiar objects, Mr. Smith has served as a sculpture and mixed media professor in the Syracuse University Studio Arts Department since 1976.
 
"Mr. Smith's work gives everyday objects a second life," said Art Gallery Administrator June Miller-Spann.  "His sculptures are fun and thought-provoking.  His work will be well-received by anyone who comes in contact with it."
 
In his first years at Syracuse, Mr. Smith taught a master of fine arts student named Robert Booth.  Mr. Booth is now an accomplished sculptor and Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Visual Arts and New Media at SUNY Fredonia.
 
"While at Syracuse, I discovered in Lawson a resource for information and insight that precipitated a fundamental change in the way I considered the possibility and potential for personal expression," said Mr. Booth.  "He had a profound effect on both how I thought about my work and myself as an artist. Additionally, his personal standards and professional practice served as an example against which I often measured my own achievement. It is with humility and gratitude that his critical insights, which first inspired me so long ago, continue to influence me to this day."
 
Mr. Smith's artwork has been presented in over 30 solo exhibitions at such prestigious venues as O.K. Harris in New York City and Henri Gallery in Washington, D.C.  He has also participated in juried or group exhibitions at the Everson Museum in Syracuse, the Spiva Art Center in Joplin, Mo., the Joslyn Museum in Omaha, Neb. and The Friends of Contemporary Art in Denver, Colo., among many others.
 



The Rockefeller Arts Center Art Gallery is open Tuesday to Thursday
from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m.;
and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.