Lydia Smith (she/her) is an artist, researcher, curator, and educator based in Columbus, OH. Her practice focuses on what is marked, lost, and lingers after death and how we might imagine new futures together.

Smith received her MFA from The Ohio State University in 2022 and her BA in Anthropology and Studio Art from Rice University in 2015. Her curatorial projects include directing Rice’s Matchbox Gallery and AUTOMAT Collective in Philadelphia. She has completed residencies at the Visual Studies Workshop, Columbus Printed Arts Center, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, and Denmark Arts Center in Maine. She was awarded a Watson Fellowship to spend a year traveling outside of the United States researching how the landscape of burial sites can reflect varying cultural attitudes towards death. Smith was awarded University and Global Arts + Humanities Graduate Team Fellowships at The Ohio State University. She is supported by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and exhibitions include Ortega y Gasset Projects, Icebox Project Space, Urban Arts Space, and Roy G Biv.