DUBLIN, Ohio— (July 7, 2022)  Dublin Arts Council (DAC) and City of Dublin Parks & Recreation are hosting public artist Todd C. Smith for a two-week residency in Dublin from July 17-30, 2022. Via the residency, three new sculptures will be created and installed in Dublin's Coffman Park as part of the Dublin Art in Public Places permanent collection. The original Exuviae were installed in 2008 and have garnered much popularity, adoration and interest from the community.

Due to damage from weather and natural forces, only one of the four original sculptures remains on view. In addition to the three new sculptures to be installed in Coffman Park, one of the original sculptures will be refurbished and installed on the Dublin Arts Council grounds. 

Community members will have multiple opportunities to observe, learn, and engage with Smith’s creative practice. The public will be invited to participate in a tape-casting workshop led by Smith, observe the artist’s fabrication of new sculptures at the Dublin Arts Center, attend an activation of Riverside Crossing Park’s pavilion with a pop-up Exuvia exhibition, and a pop-up gallery exhibition, artist talk and reception at the Dublin Arts Center.

Exuviae Residency Schedule

July 18 – 29   

Smith fabricates sculptures in ceramics studio at Dublin Arts Council
Public welcome to view, 1-4pm Monday through Friday
Open house, no registration needed
Dublin Arts Council, 7125 Riverside Dr., Dublin, Ohio

July 23 

Pop-up Exuvia exhibition 10:30am - 12:30pm
Meet the artist and see two of the original Exuvia sculptures
Open house format
Riverside Crossing Park Pavilion (east)
6635 Riverside Dr., Dublin

July 23     

Public Tape Casting Workshop, 1 – 3pm
Register at https://bit.ly/3OJWozt
30 participants only. Free of charge.
Cast body parts and combine them to make unusual forms. All ages.
Dublin City Hall and Council Chamber
5555 Perimeter Dr., Dublin

July 29:   

Artist talk & pop-up exhibition, celebration and reception, 7-9pm
Dublin Arts Council gallery and grounds
7125 Riverside Dr.

For questions about the residency, please contact Dublin Arts Council, 614-889-7444.

Artwork and artist background

The original Exuviae were brought to Dublin in 2008 through Titration2: Park Fiction, the second phase of Dublin Arts Council’s on-loan outdoor sculpture exhibition series. The Park Fiction theme illustrated the whimsy and human connection to the outdoor recreational spaces in our midst. 

Smith’s artwork is directly influenced by cicadas, whose large broods emerge from the ground every 17 years, attach themselves to trees and molt their exoskeletons. The artist wraps himself in cellophane and packing tape to create a cast, which is covered in fiberglass cloth and resin to form his own exoskeleton, purposely creating shells (Exuvia) that play with reality.

While at Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., Smith refined his drawing and painting skills during the day. At night, Smith climbed the trees and buildings on and around campus. In his junior year, he decided to create artworks that presented the world-from-the-trees perspective that he had experienced on his nightly climbs.

In 2007, Smith was awarded the Work Exchange Fellowship position at the Mary Anderson Center for the Arts in Floyds Knobs, Ind. In this 400-acre nature sanctuary, Smith began his Dailyclimb project, through which he climbed a tree every day and journaled his experiences in a blog.

Smith graduated from Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., in 2003 with a Bachelor of Art in Studio Fine Arts, earning a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art & Emerging Practices from University at Buffalo SUNY, Buffalo, NY. He currently teaches art at Telluride Mountain School, Telluride, Colo.

About Dublin Arts Council

Dublin Arts Council (DAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a thriving local arts agency which administers comprehensive, engaging programs including a variety of award-winning Art in Public Places projects, a yearlong Visual Arts Series, the annual DAC Sundays at Scioto concert series and classes and workshops at the Dublin Arts Center. DAC is committed to programs and events with strong emphasis on education and community-building. DAC serves as a community convener and thought leader for using art as a catalyst for social change and cultural cohesion. Dublin Arts Council engages the community, cultivates creativity and fosters life-long learning through the arts. DAC is supported in part by the City of Dublin’s hotel/motel tax which was established to improve quality of life for residents, corporate citizens and visitors through community investment in projects and events that enhance visitor appeal, enrich the aesthetic of public property, provide cultural arts experiences, support business, attract positive local, regional and national attention, and encourage overnight stays in Dublin. DAC is also supported by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically. In addition, Dublin Arts Council is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, fundraising events, classes, gallery sales and in-kind contributions. Dublin Arts Council is located at 7125 Riverside Dr. in Dublin, Ohio. Gallery hours are by appointment Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the second Saturday of each month, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 614.889.7444 or visit https://dublinarts.org/.