The Crossroads Carnegie Art Center is ready for the official opening of “Towards Home: The Art of Gary Ernest Smith”

CITY BAKER — The Crossroads Carnegie Art Center is set to unveil a highly anticipated art exhibit.

“Homeward: The Art of Gary Ernest Smith” will open to the public on Friday, May 23. This event marks the final gallery exhibition of Gary Ernest Smith, a renowned contemporary Western artist with deep roots in Baker County.

Preparations are in full swing at the Art Center, where the excitement is palpable. “We are so excited,” said Ginger Savage, executive director of the Center. “The boards are hung and we just make any last minute adjustments and markings.”

Doors will open at 4:00 p.m., followed by a reception with live music from Dan Brown, a barroom from Copper Belt Winery and food from The Cheese Fairy.

The exhibit coincides with the grand reopening of the Oregon Trail National Historic Interpretive Center outside Baker City, creating a thematic bridge between the two events. Smith, whose painting “Oregon Pioneers” was used to promote the center’s reopening in the 1990s, created a new work for the interpretive center, which will also be unveiled Friday morning.

Savage says the exhibit is a testament to the dedication of the Crossroads team. “Our gallery committee, led by Artistic Director Angela Blair, worked tirelessly for six months to bring this exhibition to fruition,” Savage said. She said the efforts included structural changes, relighting the gallery and producing catalogs and other materials for the exhibition.

Medical Springs native Gary Ernest Smith has built a formidable career as a leading contemporary Western artist. His works are renowned for their depiction of rural American life, capturing the essence of the fields, ranches, cattle, mountains and people of Baker County. His art is deeply personal, reflecting his lifelong connection to the land and the rural way of life.

“It is important to me to live and work with my family in a rural area,” Smith said in his artist statement. “Inspiration comes to me in moments of quiet observation.” His works often depict the struggles and triumphs of rural life, using bold shapes and colors to create a symbolic visual language that resonates with both rural and urban audiences.

The exhibit, which runs through July 21, aims to attract visitors to Baker County for more than a day. “We want to give them a reason to not only come for a day, but to spend a few days,” Savage said. The exhibit will conclude on the final day of the Miners’ Jubilee, Baker City’s largest celebration, which aligns with the city’s 150th anniversary festivities.

Friday’s opening reception will include an artist talk at 5:00 p.m., providing guests with a unique opportunity to engage with Smith and better understand his work. The event is expected to attract art lovers from across the region, potentially attracting new supporters for the Crossroads Carnegie Art Center’s programs, which include serving at-risk youth and promoting local and regional artists.

Guests are strongly encouraged to RSVP by contacting Crossroads to reserve their place for this event. The center will be open seven days a week, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for the duration of the exhibition.

“To have an artist of Gary Ernest Smith’s caliber entrust us with this final show, it’s life-changing for this organization, it truly is,” Savage said. “It’s a level of artistry that we’ve never really been able to showcase before. And to be entrusted with his last major gallery exhibition is humbling, sometimes overwhelming, but it’s such a gift to tell this last type of story for Gary.