Rhonda J. Smith work on exhibit at Thyen-Clark Cultural Center

EXHIBIT DATES: APRIL 2 – JUNE 26, 2026

Jasper Arts is pleased to present the work of Keedysville, artist, Rhonda J. Smith for the months of April, May and June 2026 at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center.

The solo exhibition titled ‘Persistence’ features large original, one-of-a-kind linoleum prints.

Smith states, “Persistence is patience and determination. It takes persistence to hand draw, cut and print large scale linoleum prints. It takes persistence to continue to work the land in the face of war,
famine, disease and loss. Persistence is told through the farms and landscapes of Antietam National Battlefield Park. Persistence is the act of persistently cutting linoleum to tell these stories.”

Cutting these images of historic farmland is Smith’s way of cultivating a fertile line of remembrance to forge a memory of place. She states, “Places hold the history of what came before only as long as we care to acknowledge the power of place within our national discourse.

Acknowledging the past is the only way to fully embrace “all men are created equal” as a national identity and destiny.”

Rhonda J. Smith is a practicing artist and retired professor of Art. Smith served as Chair of the Department of Contemporary Art and Theater at Shepherd University for 30 years and acted as Coordinator of the BFA Painting Program for 5 years before becoming Coordinator of the BFA
Printmaking Program for 26 years. She recently retired from Shepherd University after 30 years.

Smith received her BFA from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky and her MFA from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Her work has been exhibited regionally and nationally. Smith has traveled in Europe, Africa, China, Peru, India and the United States. Her work is inspired by the notion that travel, history, family and experiences are the stories that shape our lives.