Nan Smith

Nan Smith is an artist known for her contemplative installations and figure sculptures. Her ceramic art works synthesize sculpture with digital photo montages. Over the years she has explored social narratives that reflect her interest in spirituality, nostalgia, and environmental issues. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and is in the collections of The American Express Corporation, The Lamar Dodd Art Center, The Burlington County Community College, The Givat Haviva Art Center, the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design Ceramics and Glass Program Collection, Israel, and the World Ceramics Exposition Korea International Collection, Ichon, Korea. She has been the recipient of four State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship Grants (1981, 1992, 1998, 2010). She has been awarded an NEA-funded Southern Arts Federation Fellowship in Sculpture (1993) and a University of Florida Research Foundation Professorship (2000-2003). Nan Smith was named a UF Provost Research Awardee (2017-2019). She received the University of Florida Doctoral Dissertation Advisor Mentoring Award for 2016-2017. Nan has been awarded funded residencies by the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts and The Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts. Her sculpture has been presented in numerous books. Chapters about her work can be found in: “The Figure in Clay” (USA) and “World Famous Ceramic Artists Studios” (China). Feature articles on Nan Smith’s sculpture have appeared in Sculpture, Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics: Art and Perception, World Sculpture News, China Ceramic Artist magazines. Her work has been pictured and cited in over 35 books and periodicals. Nan Smith lives in Gainesville, Florida where she maintains her studio. Named a Professor Emeritus by the School of Art + Art History at the University of Florida, Nan retired from full-time teaching in January of 2019 to pursue her career as a full-time studio artist.