Studio/Gallery Director:  Jerry E. Smith          email:  Profjesmith@gmail.com              cell:  214-938-3362

Dallas Metro Arts Contemporary had been a year in planning and remodeling, providing 2600 square feet of studio and exhibition space in

the Historic Downtown Plano Arts District, designated in 2016 by the National Trust for Historic Presevation, and part of substantial  revitalization project in one of the fasted growing metro areas of the nation.  Plano was listed in USA Today as one of the Top Ten Places to Live, in 2016.

The mission of the Studio/Gallery is to provide a national exhibition venue for both beginning and emerging artists, to build recognition and an exhibition record, as well as providing a connection with a rotating series of jurors representing galleries or art institutions.  Future studio goals are to provide one-on-one consultation, solo exhibition curating, and other educational opportunities for artists of all ages.

Director Jerry E. Smith has been an exhibiting artist with over 250 juried and invitational exhibitions both regionally and nationally, as well as a former full-time professor of art for 18 years.  He recieved his MFA at the University of Kansas under nationally known artist Roger Shimomura.  He recieved a Fellowship to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, where he studied under Betye Saar, Mary Heilman, Roy Deforest, Louisa Chase and Sydney Goodman, plus visiting faculty of Elizabeth Murray, Elizabeth Catlett, Eric Fischl,  and Richard Serra. 

His recent exhibitions include "Emerging Artists, Macon Museum of Arts and Science, Macon, GA; solo exhibitions at the Ormand Museum, Ormand Beach FL; Museum of Art, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg KS; and Juried Exhibitions at  New Britain Museum of Art, New Britain CT; Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria LA and the Meadows Museum of Art, Tyler TX.

Says Smith:  "I myself have benifited from my exhibition opportunities, first in in the area of the competative teaching field and being recognized for my successful list of  art shows.  And second, I have seen that being accepted into juried art shows can give an artist merit and credibility, leading them to increasingly more substantial exhibitions.  While in Texas, I entered a national juried exhibition at  a university, which lead to a later solo show there, and then an invitation from the juror  (a  Director of a museum) to participate in an invitational  exhibition." 

Besides the opperation of the Studio/Gallery, Smith is engaged in publishing a textbook, Art Appreciation:  A Complete Curriculum for the College & Dual Credit Educator, while maintaining a presence as a college educator.