Sarah Smith: Communicating Art at Reynolda House

Sara Smith is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Reynolda House, the art museum in Winston-Salem. Radio Camper Eileen Schaller spoke with Sara.

She approached me with intrigue on her face and excitement for the interview. I asked her about what she wanted people to get from the Reynolda House.

 

When people come to Reynolda House, I want them to leave feeling excited about what they saw and I want them to be inspired, welcomed, and comfortable, and not to have felt like they had to know about art or to be able to appreciate it. I think that is important at Reynolda House because the art that we have is viewed in a home setting. My desire is that people almost feel like they are in someone's home looking at somebody's art above their sofa. It just happens to be really good art.

Next I asked her when she discovered her love and passion for art.

I had studied an artist named Ed Ruscha, who is an our collection at the Reynolda House, and not long I after I had studied him and learned a little bit about him, I was at a museum in Colorado and I was walking through the galleries. And, before this time, I never would have been able to pick out an artist just by sight, but I walked into this huge gallery and I looked across and I saw this huge work of art on the wall, and I knew immediately that it was Ed Ruscha. Of course, his work is very recognizable anyway, but it was very empowering and I think that was the moment where I had connected with art in a way I never had before.

Sara was also awarded the 40 Leaders Under 40 Award by the Business Journal of the Triad. To find out more, visit the Reynolda House website at ReynoldaHouse.org.

For 88.5 WFDD Radio Camp, I'm Eileen Schaller.