Geoffrey Smith has been visiting Alaska from his home in Florida for decades. But his trips have become more frequent in recent years since buying a summer home in Soldotna. He says more time spent in the Last Frontier means more opportunities to explore other parts of the state.
He visited Utqiagvik last fall to look for polar bears. And while he says it was amazing to see the bears in person, he walked away with lingering thoughts of how they are being impacted by climate change. That partially inspired the new show "World on Fire."
“My purpose is to connect people to the outdoors, to the natural world, to keep us all living in harmony with the planet, which is kind of out of balance right now in a lot of sense," Smith said. "And that's what this show was about, with the ‘World on Fire.’ It's kind of that global warming.”
The show features other familiar Alaska creatures, like moose and magpies, obscured by a field of red and orange paint. Smith says the colors symbolize rising temperatures and the wildfires they bring.
But it's not just climate change he wants to bring attention to.
Smith’s work has long highlighted the beauty of nature. One of his most popular works is an 18-foot tall sculpture of a sailfish in his hometown in south Florida. He’s also made sculptures for the U.S. Department of State, which have found themselves in the hands of the late Pope Francis and other diplomatic figures.
And like those works, the two dozen pieces in this show also highlight and celebrate Mother Nature’s beauty. Smith says he hopes the Kenai exhibit will make communities more apt to learn about and protect their environment.
“It's kind of micro-steps," Smith said. "If everybody works together, we can change things, I think. But it takes knowledge.”
This is Smith’s first show in Alaska. And he says having it here is fitting, because it’s about Alaska.
But some of his Alaska-centric work goes beyond just reflecting the state. A few pieces, like a sculpture of a bear, incorporate elements of the state. It’s made completely out of driftwood found on Alaska beaches. Near the sculpture are rocks, also found in Alaska.
Smith hopes to expand this body of work.
“In addition to everything you see here, I'll keep expanding on this theme of both creating beautiful wildlife, and then creating ones with the showing the climate in crisis,” Smith said.
“World on Fire,” and a small mural exhibit in the back gallery, will be on view at the Kenai Art Center through the end of the month. After that, the main show will move to the Pratt Museum in Homer.
