{"id":10552,"date":"2026-08-24T21:31:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T21:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/?p=10552"},"modified":"2026-08-24T21:31:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T21:31:05","slug":"artist-kitty-smothers-honored-with-reception-at-international-arts-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/2026\/08\/24\/artist-kitty-smothers-honored-with-reception-at-international-arts-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist Kitty Smothers honored with reception at International Arts Center"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION<\/a>) \u2014 Kitty Smothers<\/a>, a Troy alumna and featured artist, is showcasing her collection, \u201cWild and Holy Things,\u201d at the International Arts Center (IAC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition features paintings inspired by the natural beauty of south Alabama and Smothers\u2019 connection to the rural area where she grew up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smothers said the collection was created to capture the spiritual and healing qualities she sees in nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy collection is a series of paintings that capture the beauty of nature all around me, particularly in south Alabama,\u201d said Smothers. \u201cIt’s always been an escape for me, so I wanted to paint something I felt had spiritual qualities, healing qualities and I felt that way about nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAMPUS COVERAGE: Shush booth, nook and other upgrades arrive at campus library<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collection reflects more than Smothers\u2019 artistic interests. Her connection to rural Alabama also extends to the place she calls home, making the subject matter personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her return to Troy has also given university officials and students an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of a former student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Janice Hawkins, Troy\u2019s First Lady, said Smothers\u2019 work represents the talent found within the Troy community and the pride that comes with seeing alumni succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a gift, it’s such a talent, how could we not be so extraordinarily proud to have her not only right here in this town, but a part of the university,\u201d said Hawkins. “We just have really gifted people here and I\u2019m always excited to find someone that I didn\u2019t know about before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The appreciation for Smothers\u2019 work extends beyond university staff. Students also have the opportunity to see an alumna return to the university and display work connected to her roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toby Cooper, a senior graphic design major from Trussville, Alabama, said seeing successful alumni return to campus can give current students a sense of what is possible after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it’s really important where you can go and you know what awaits you after you graduate,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cI think it’s very important to see someone so successful come from where you’ve come from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Smothers, displaying her work at Troy brings her artistic journey back to a familiar place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paintings now hang in the same university environment where Smothers once walked as a student, allowing current students, faculty and visitors to experience her work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition also highlights the lasting relationship between Troy and its alumni. Smothers\u2019 collection connects the university to the landscapes and experiences that influenced her artistic work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From her first strokes of a brush to the artwork now displayed in the IAC, Smothers\u2019 work demonstrates how an individual\u2019s beginnings can continue to influence what comes next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) \u2014 Kitty Smothers, a Troy alumna and featured artist, is showcasing her collection, \u201cWild and Holy Things,\u201d at the International Arts Center (IAC).<\/p>\n

The exhibition features paintings inspired by the natural beauty of south Alabama and Smothers\u2019 connection to the rural area where she grew up.<\/p>\n

Smothers said the collection was created…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":10562,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1127],"tags":[116,3208,3209],"topics":[24],"class_list":["post-10552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","tag-international-arts-center","tag-kitty-smothers-troy-university","tag-wild-and-holy-things","topics-international-arts-center"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10552"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10561,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10552\/revisions\/10561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10552"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=10552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}