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Roger Smith

Name: Roger Smith
Address: PO Box 76, Culleoka, TN, 38451, US
Telephone: +19319872426

PO Box 76
Culleoka, TN 38451
Phone: +19319872426

E-mail

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Overview
Peach seeds come alive by Roger Smith! Peach seeds are like people, they come in all shapes and sizes. Any peach seed can be transformed into art when before it only existed in the imagination of Roger Smith. What started in the late '60s or early '70s as a hobby has become an avenue for making new friends as well as becoming a business venture. Roger Smith's carvings were introduced to the media in 1987 after participating in the Maury County Fair in Columbia, Tn. An article in the Tennessean newspaper brought attention to Smith's peach seed carvings and led to various art exhibits at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta; The Historic Shaw Art Fair in St. Louis; The Tennessee Arts & Crafts Show in Nashville; The National Folk Festival in East Lansing; the Folklife Festival in Murfreesboro; and the White Oak Craft Fair in Woodbury, TN. In 1993, Smith was invited to participate in Christmas at the White House where his peach seed 'Santa' was displayed on the Christmas Tree and became part of the White House Collection. Copies of Roger Smith's work were also sent to the Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, OH. In 2001, a set of Smith's carvings became a permanent collection of the Tennessee State Museum. Smith has also appeared in three local television segments 'Tennessee Traveler', 'Tennessee Crossroads', and 'Lifestyles'. In 2006, Smith was a guest crafter on the Delta Queen Steamboat cruise. In 2012, his carvings were displayed at the Tullahoma Fine Arts Center. A photo of Smith's carvings is featured on the CD cover of 'The Fairfield Four' Revival CD. Roger Smith was featured in 'Tradition: Tennessee Lives & Legacies', a book by Robert Cogswell and 'Weird Tennessee' by Roger Manley. Peach seed carving takes a great deal of time and patience. To complete a carving takes four to eight hours. The secret is to get everything in the proper proportion. Smith has transformed peach seeds into just about everything from animals, villages, towns, people and an entire baseball stadium with players, spectators and cars!