FERRUM, Virginia, January 31, 2025 — Jacob Smith, assistant professor and program coordinator of art at Ferrum College, recently won first place for a work of art called “A History of the Seeder Nation,” in the 2025 Juried Biennial Exhibition at Roanoke College’s Olin Hall Galleries.
“A History of the Seeder Nation” is a multimedia work built around the concept of an imaginary alternate religion. Smith applied gold leaf accents to a large wooden cabinet that holds golden bowls full of cherries, with candles on the top. Inside, he created a slideshow in a documentary style from photographs of individuals, some with bowls of cherries, and groups of people in the rural American South.
“We are thrilled to see Jake Smith’s skills and talents recognized in this way!” said Interim Dean of Faculty and Program Coordinator for Religious Studies, Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel. “His creativity and passion for his discipline are an inspiration to his students and colleagues, and we could not be more proud.”
“This piece imagines the Appalachian region and what a religion based on the life of a cherry tree would look like if it had succeeded in becoming the dominant religion of Europe in the 15th century,” wrote Smith. The cabinet is part of a larger grouping of sculptures and 2-D pieces that envisions Appalachia “if a nature-based religion were the dominant religion of the land.”
The 2025 Biennial Exhibition is open daily from 1:00-4:00 p.m. until March 16 at Olin Hall Galleries. It includes entries by 66 artists from within a 200-mile radius of Roanoke College, working with a variety of media. The juror was James Salomon, director of design projects at Achilles Salvagni Atelier in New York.
Images of Smith’s piece with his description can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@typicalartguy. As a result of winning first place, Smith will prepare a solo exhibit at Olin Hall Galleries next year.
