Currently living in Eagan, MN, Melvin R. and Rose J. Smith were residents of St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood for many years—Rose for most of her life and Melvin from 1963 to 1968. The Smiths’ artwork consists of urban scenes and portraits that present realist, expressionist, and at times allegorical takes on Black life in America. The works in this exhibition are drawn from their Rondo series—a sprawling body of work that stands as an elegiac anthem for that lost neighborhood and the enduring community that lives on in its wake.
Melvin Smith, “Combs Family,” 2003, paper collage.
From Melvin’s witty, unflinching collaged portraits and three-dimensional models of Rondo buildings to Rose’s touching portraits of family and joyful images of musicians, the work in the exhibition speaks to the complex gamut of life in Rondo and, by extension, the African American community writ large. Deeply committed to sharing the role of the Twin Cities in the larger history of civil rights, the Smiths insist this is more than a local story and that all of America needs to remember Rondo.
The Smiths have shown their work nationally for the past thirty-five years. Their artwork currently focuses on Minnesota and its largely unknown role in the American Civil Rights Movement and beyond. Focusing on their own lived experiences, the Smiths’ art offers an intimate view of everyday Black life in Rondo, and the rich histories embedded in those experiences. Their desire to preserve and trumpet the travails and triumphs of their community is testimony of their devotion to it. The Weisman is honored to present Remembering Rondo, illuminating and celebrating two of our state and region’s most important and prolific artists.
RELATED PROGRAMS
Exhibition Preview Party
June 6 | 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
A celebration of the intimate and sprawling works of Rose and Melvin Smith—explore the histories embedded in their paintings and collages. The evening will include small bites, jazz music by PaviElle, and conversation with the artists.
VIP Reception | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Members at the Collector level and above and special guests are invited to a private reception before the preview party with the artists. Space is limited. RSVP required: wamrsvp@umn.edu. Become a member today>>
Remembering Rondo Community Event
July 17 | 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Celebrate Rondo artists and community members past, present, and future. Explore the Remembering Rondo exhibition through storytelling with Beverly Cottman. Watch Rondo: Beyond the Pavement, a documentary showing the perspectives of Rondo elders told through the point of view of young Rondo media makers with a panel to follow. Gather and share with the StoryMobile, recording stories and reactions on the plaza. Enjoy free ice cream. FREE with registration>>
Remembering Rondo is a landmark retrospective of Rose and Melvin Smith’s expansive careers in the arts. Currently living in Eagan, MN, Melvin R. and Rose J. Smith were residents of St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood for many years. The works in this exhibition are drawn from the artists’ Rondo series—a sprawling body of work that stands as an elegiac anthem for that lost neighborhood and the enduring community that lives on in its wake. Hear audience reactions to the exhibition in these…
Melvin R. and Rose J. Smith are proud Minnesota artists. Currently living in Eagan, Minnesota, they were residents of St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood for many years—Rose for most of her life and Melvin from 1963 to 1968. The Smiths’ art consists of urban scenes and portraits that present realist, expressionist, and at times allegorical takes on Black life in America. The works in this exhibition are drawn from their Rondo series—a sprawling body of work that stands as an…
In honor of Wellstone Remembrance Day today, we share the exhibition postcard for Twelve Years and Thirteen Days: Remembering Paul and Sheila Wellstone, photographs by Terry Gydeson. The photographic series became a book of the same title: Senator Paul Wellstone is remembered for his infectious enthusiasm and his ardent devotion to helping all people gain a voice in American politics. In a remarkable collection of more than seventy photographs, Twelve Years and Thirteen Days commemorates the Wellstones’s commitment to social and economic…
