About/Contact

Rachel Suzanne Smith is an artist, metalsmith, and educator based in NorthEast Ohio. She received her undergraduate degree at Miami University in Art Education with minors in 3D Media Studies (jewelry/metals) and Spanish. She also received her MFA in Crafts (Jewelry Metals Enameling) at Kent State University.

In past roles, Smith has served as adjunct and visiting professor of jewelry metals at Kent State University, created, co-created, and taught CAD/CAM-related curriculum for both jewelry and general art courses, worked as a program coordinator in museum outreach education, and managed makerspaces at Kent State University (ARTech Studio), Oberlin College (Fabrication Lab), and Case Western Reserve University (Sears think[box]). Smith currently serves as Professor of Practice (Craft and Design) at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Smith’s studio work reflects themes of identity and ornament, focusing specifically on the desire to connect with the outdoors and nature. The facilitation of that need occurs through the use of adornment, allowing the wearer to surround themselves with arrangements and clusters of plants, created via the artist’s photographs and sketches.

Smith’s work has been widely exhibited in craft and art shows. She was a finalist in the 2017 Friedrich Becker Prize and exhibited her work in the Finalist Exhibitions at the Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf and the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau. She was a 2016 Niche Award winner in the category of Sculpture to Wear. Also active in the Ohio art scene, Rachel has received the Fresh Air award at the Akron Summit Art Space, the award for Excellence in Metals at the Ohio Craft Museum “Best of” exhibition, and is a 2019 recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award.