An art exhibit at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center is bringing together three generations of artists. In it, the unique work of a grandmother, mother and daughter is woven into one collection, telling a story of creativity and family heritage.
“Echoes of Artistic Expression” features the work of Helen Smith, Pamela Smith and Courtney Minifee. But for Pamela Smith, there were years before she realized her mother Helen had any artistic talent.
“I came home one day and she had drawn a Spider-Man on one of those hooking mats for rugs,” Smith said. "And I said, ‘Mom who drew this?’ And she said, ‘I did.’ And then it was like, ‘you can draw like this?’”
After that, Smith went out and bought art supplies to support her mother’s work. But little did she know that moment in college was the start of a family artistic legacy.
Helen Smith went on to produce dozens of works of art, including portraits of her grandchildren, as well as prominent African American leaders like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou.
Pamela Smith eventually had two daughters and started working with textiles including sewing, crocheting and African doll-making. Many of these creations are in the exhibit, including baby blankets, woven baskets and a wedding veil for her daughter, Courtney Minifee.
Minifee’s medium is painting. She typically works with bright and bold colors — but tried something different for this exhibit. This is the first time her grandmother’s work is on display and the first exhibit Minifee has been a part of since Helen died in 2023. To honor that, she chose darker shades, accented with gold that she says reminds her of her grandmother’s hopeful nature.
Now, for the first time Helen Smith’s portraits, Pamela Smith’s textile art and Minifee’s mixed media paintings are being showcased together in the same exhibit.
“I just thought it would be such an honor to pull the work of these two artists together in one exhibit that would really celebrate the profound bond between generations and really rightly honor the artist, Helen Smith, posthumously,” said Cathy DeShambo, the Director of East Lansing’s Parks, Recreation and Arts department.
For Minifee, the portraits her grandmother made of her as a teenager hold personal significance. As a Black girl growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, Minifee said that she often felt like an outsider.
“The fact that I looked at myself and felt pretty, and then felt pretty enough to ask my grandmother to recreate it. That meant a lot to me and felt very good. I got to see myself in a way that I didn't before,” she said.
But for her, her grandmother’s inclusion in the exhibit goes beyond the individual works of art. Her whole life, Helen wanted to be an artist, but was discouraged from pursuing it professionally and chose nursing instead.
“If my grandma wasn't supposed to do it, like, we're not supposed to do it, right?” said Minifee.
But now, she feels as though the display and sale of Helen’s pieces have validated her grandmother’s work — and also gives Minifee hope that she, too, can succeed as an artist.
For both Pamela Smith and Minifee, this exhibit has helped them embrace their identities as creators. Both have struggled with valuing themselves as artists, often downplaying the art they create.
“I didn't think or consider myself as an artist,” Smith said. “It is now that I had the opportunity to do this exhibit and to show what I've made, I had to reflect back.”
As time passes, and Minifee thinks about having her own kids, she’s worried it will get even harder and she’s afraid she will lose her creativity. Her mother reminds her of the motivation children can bring.
“My inspiration, I think, as a mom, came from my daughters,” Smith said. “I made a lot of the things that you see in the showcase for them.”
“I didn't know how much I needed to hear you say that me and Zakiya were inspiration for you to still be creative,” Minifee told her, with tears in her eyes. “So thank you, mom."
“Echoes of Artistic Expression” is on display at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center until Tuesday, March 4. Admission is free.