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Richard Zane Smith facts for kids

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Richard Zane Smith (born in 1955) is an American artist who makes sculptures, especially pottery. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and learned how to make pottery at the Kansas City Art Institute.

Richard Zane Smith's art is inspired by the traditions of the Wyandotte Nation and the Pueblo people. He uses special techniques like coils and layers in his clay work. His pottery often shows influences from many Southwestern art styles, including those of the Pueblos and the Ancestral Pueblo people. The Wyandotte Nation has officially recognized him as a tribal artisan.

About Richard Zane Smith

Richard Zane Smith was born in 1955 in Augusta, Georgia. He spent his childhood in and around St. Louis, Missouri. From a young age, he was interested in art. He and his four brothers and sisters loved listening to stories their parents told.

In high school, Smith became very interested in working with clay. He also used other natural materials like wood, leather, and stone. But clay became his main material for creating art. Around the same time, he also developed a strong interest in the Wyandot culture.

Smith is now helping to bring back the Wyandot language. This language was not used much by the 1960s. Smith started studying it and teaching it to Wyandotte people and their families. He is part of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, which is a group that celebrates Wyandot heritage.

Art Inspiration

In 1978, Richard Zane Smith traveled to Arizona. There, he worked as an art teacher at a school for Navajo children. This was his first time seeing Native American clay and pieces of old pots made by the Ancestral Pueblo people.

He started using these ideas in his own art. This led to a new style of pottery for him. Smith's pottery often looks like "corrugated pottery" from the Southwest. This is a type of pottery where the coils used to shape the pot are left rough and visible. His work also looks like old Wyandot basket weaving. Smith is special because he moved from making art in a Southwest style to exploring Wyandot styles of pottery.

Some of His Artworks

  • “Op-Art” Geometric Design Jar (2000)
  • Corrugated Bowl with Wood/Rock Handle (2005)
  • Garden Set of 6 Pieces (2001)
  • Bury my Heart at Auschwitz (1995)
  • Bear Baiting an Indian (2017)

Where His Art Has Been Shown

Art in Public Places

You can find Richard Zane Smith's art in these public collections:

  • American Craft Museum
  • Philbrook Museum of Art
  • Denver Art Museum

Awards and Recognitions

  • "Best of Pottery Award" from the Heard Museum's Annual American Art juried Competition
  • 2010 "Community Spirit Award" from the First Peoples Fund

Richard Zane Smith no longer takes part in art competitions against other artists.

See also

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