The First Years : Josh Smith in conversation with Vanessa Woods

Join us on Saturday,May 24th, at 2:00 PM PDT for a special artist talk at Leica Store San Francisco!

We’re excited to present a conversation between our current exhibiting artist Josh Smith, and Bay Area photographic artist Vanessa Woods. They’ll reflect on their shared creative journey over the past decade and the unique partnership that has shaped both their lives and artistic practices.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear the stories behind The First Years and gain a deeper insight into Josh’s exhibition!

* RSVP is required, seating will be available on a first come first serve basis. Conversation will begin at 2:15pm.

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Josh Smith is originally from Springfield, Missouri, Josh Smith earned his M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2007 and has been living and working in the Bay Area since 2004. Smith has exhibited widely within the Bay Area and beyond, including exhibitions at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, OR, Center for Photographic Art in Monterey, CA, and the Jack Fischer Gallery in San Francisco, CA. His most recent work, The First Years, has been showcased in numerous publications, including Oxford American, Fotofilmic, Three Penny Review, and Zone magazine (forthcoming). In 2018, a monograph of The First Years was published by Dark Springs Press. Smith was a Visiting Professor at the San Francisco Art Institute and is currently the photography instructor at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, CA. Smith resides in Pacifica, CA, with his wife Vanessa Woods and their three children.

is on view now at the Gallery at the Leica Store San Francisco till June 14th. To learn more about Josh Smith's work, please visit: https://joshsmithphoto.com

Vanessa Woods is a San Francisco Bay Area-based artist working in photography, 16mm film, collage, and sculpture. Her work uses a range of visual strategies and a hybrid approach to image-making to explore discourse around identity, motherhood, and gender in contemporary art. Since graduating with an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, her artwork and films have been exhibited throughout the United States including Stanford Art Spaces at Stanford University, The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and The Institute of Contemporary Art in San Jose. Woods has received numerous awards including a Center for Photographic Art Artist Support Grant, a Film Arts Foundation Grant, and the San Francisco Art Institute's MFA Fellowship. She has also been awarded residencies at Djerassi, the Headlands Center for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, and in Pont-Aven, France, through the Museum of Pont-Aven. Her work has been published in The New York Times and Harpers, among others. Woods lives in Pacifica, CA with artist Josh Smith and their three children.

To learn more about Vanessa Woods, please visit: https://vanessawoods.com

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Where: Leica Store San Francisco, 463 Bush St, San Francisco.

When: Saturday, May24th, 2025, 2:00 – 3:30 PM PDT

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Top Image:
Josh Smith, Thomas Tent and Leg, 2019

Bottom Image:
Josh Smith, Mirrored Face, 2021

Also check out other Arts events in San Francisco, Entertainment events in San Francisco, Exhibitions in San Francisco.