FERRUM, VA. January 16, 2026 — Jacob Smith, program coordinator and associate professor of art at Ferrum College, will present “Thoughts & Prayers” at the Olin Hall Galleries at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. The exhibition will be on view January 23 through March 22, 2026, with an opening reception on Friday, January 23, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
“Thoughts & Prayers” features sculpture, two-dimensional work, and immersive installations that examine themes of power, ideology, and belief systems. Through a fictional Appalachian society called the Seeders, Smith’s work encourages viewers to reflect on familiar cultural structures and the forces that shape identity.
Smith is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in photography, graphic design, sculpture, and public art. He earned an M.F.A. from The George Washington University and a B.A. from Roanoke College. His work History of the Seeder Nation received First Place in the 2025 Juried Biennial, juried by James Solomon at Olin Hall Galleries.
Smith’s public art includes his sculpture Big Ol’ Bikes, installed at the entrance to Mill Mountain Park in Roanoke, Virginia in April 2019; Rising Puzzle, included in a temporary outdoor exhibit in Roanoke’s Elmwood Park in 2016; a 16-foot-long bass sculpture for a pier in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland; and a memorial sculpture for Roanoke College gardens depicting Elizabeth “Liz” Dameron ’24.
Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for Media and Communication Amy Loeffler interviewed Smith for her public radio story on Smith’s exhibit, which airs on WVTF on January 21. It is available for reading or listening, along with photographs of several artworks, on the WVTF website. “Smith’s work is heavily influenced by his upbringing in Appalachia,” says Loeffler, “and the current show is a smorgasbord of political commentary, absurdities and contradictions that mirror our present-day culture but based on a type of Appalachian mysticism practiced by the made-up traditions of the Seeders.”
Smith told Loeffler that “art is a communication of an idea. If there’s not an underlying back and forth between the creator and the viewer, that’s not art.” “Thoughts and Prayers” includes immersive and interactive pieces that invite viewers to explore artifacts of the imagined Seeder culture and ideas about our own society.
Click here to read more at Olin Hall Galleries about the exhibit.
Image credit: Jacob Smith, “History of the Seeder Nation,” 2024, faux cherries, LED candles, monitor, repurposed cabinet, metal bowls, cloth, wood
