March Artist of the Month – Kara Smith

Libraries play a vital and powerful role in our communities, and the Stockbridge Library is no exception. In fact, it goes a step further with its archival collection, which dates back to 1738. Exploring these archives is like stepping back in time. A journey through history.

Objects pile up, documents shuffled into folders, cataloged, forgotten. Idly waiting for someone like me to come along and squint at them like a detective in a noir film.
This exhibit is born of the thrill of discovering something that’s been tucked away and realizing it still has something to say.

This series of paintings and mixed-media work were all created in response to relics and anecdotes from the Stockbridge Library Museum and Archives. Some of the work was created in Summer 2024, while artist-in-residence at the Red Lion Inn. The remaining pieces were created during Winter 2025 and dive into the history of the library and notable figures from its early years.

Bio
Kara Smith is an artist and art educator based in Western Massachusetts. Her paintings, prints and mixed-media work are driven by an interest in memory, history, visual storytelling and modes of communication, with a graphic sensibility and a love of found materials and ephemera. She received a MA in Art Education from Brooklyn College, and a BFA from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. She has been awarded residencies through Berkshire Art Center, MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists, Kasini House/Kolaj Institute, The Vermont Studio Center, Brooklyn Art Space, and Drop, Forge and Tool.  Kara is a Teaching Artist and Program Director at Community Access to the Arts (CATA) in Great Barrington, MA, which nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities through the arts.