Columbia painter Byron Smith selected for program focused on Arrow Rock's Black history

A beloved Columbia painter is one of two artists making summer plans in Arrow Rock as part of the Persimmon Creek Writers and Artists Residency.

Byron Smith, whose work has helped define the local art scene for decades, will have the chance to create and contemplate in the historic mid-Missouri village, a little more than 40 miles from Columbia, this June.

Formed in 2021, the residency exists for several reasons: first and foremost, to give artists a chance to simply be and to make, free from distraction.

Persimmon Creek goes deeper, though, seeking connections in the past and present tenses. The residency program also "hopes to introduce the Village of Arrow Rock to a wider national creative audience; recognize the historic presence of African American lives in Arrow Rock; and enrich present-day awareness of this one-time vibrant community," according to a news release.

More: Persimmon Creek artist residency keeps Arrow Rock's Black history at fore

Smith's presence radiates through Columbia as a native resident, a University of Missouri graduate and a thoughtful artist who often creates lush, lyrical scenes from around Missouri.

"When I paint from nature, I express myself by depicting the landscape elements I both see and feel," Smith told the Tribune back in 2010. "As a result, every painting is different."

Also coming to Arrow Rock this summer is Virginia-based journalist Brian Palmer. A photographer, writer, documentarian and more, Palmer's work has shown up everywhere from The New York Times to Smithsonian Magazine.

Palmer also has displayed an abiding interest in preserving and amplifying Black history, working with his wife and creative partner Erin Hollaway Palmer, among other volunteers, to "reclaim East End Cemetery, a historic African American burial ground in Henrico County, Virginia," according to the release.

Smith and Palmer will visit Arrow Rock for independent two-week stays in June, but share a public-facing presentation on June 22 to discuss their creative arcs and the work they're currently envisioning.

Past Persimmon Creek residents include artists from Kansas City to Los Angeles, Minnesota to Virginia and North Carolina.

"As much as it offers a community of engaging, interested readers and auditors, it will leave with youan inspired locale, a gathering of friends, and the unyielding sense of how and why art matters," writer Karla FC Holloway said of the program in the release.

Learn more about the residency program at https://www.persimmoncreek.org/.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Arrow Rock artist residency selects Columbia painter Byron Smith