Martia A. Smith was a gifted artist who worked in the mediums of ceramics and glass. Northland Pioneer College (NPC) was fortunate to have her as an adjunct faculty in the art department, where she shared her passion and talents with NPC students. Art was not just Martia’s hobby, it was a prominent part of her life, and she was involved with it on many levels. She was a member of the Peoria Arts Commission and served as secretary of the Northeastern Arizona Fine Arts Association.  Her work was displayed in their High-Country Gallery in Pinetop, but her reach far transcended the White Mountains. Her glass and ceramics were routinely displayed throughout Arizona, in shows at the Tempe Art Center, Grand Canyon University’s A.P. Tell Gallery, and Phoenix’s Shemer Art Center. She received numerous awards for her work, including first place at the annual CLAY Show and Best of Show in the Arts Alliance of the White Mountains Annual Juried Art Show. Her work is in many private and public collections today.

Martia’s husband, Louis Smith, chose to honor her memory by establishing the Martia A. Smith Memorial Art Scholarship. Louis Smith, a native Arizonan and lifelong educator, sought to create a scholarship that would foster student artists for generations to come and encourage the growth of art in our communities. Wisely, he established his fund, the first-ever endowed scholarship at Northland Pioneer College, to be available to all full-time, degree-seeking students. Applicants need not be art majors, but they must demonstrate that art is, as it was for Martia, an important part of their lives. The application process requires that applicants show their art examples and reflect upon them through a written essay. As Martia put it, “The artwork which I do is primarily that of self-fulfillment…It is how I come to know myself.”

NPC Friends and Family is very proud to offer this scholarship, which provides a full-tuition scholarship of up to $3,000 for the 2022-23 academic year to a highly motivated, academically, and artistically talented student. Past applicants have included ceramicists, photographers, painters, and artists in charcoal, pencil, pen, ink, and textiles. The application consists of the following, all of which must be emailed to NPC Faculty in Art, Magda Gluszek at magda.gluszek@npc.edu before the deadline of Friday, March 4, 2022:

• A completed entry form (fillable pdf - available online at www.npc.edu/scholarships/martia-and-louis-smith-memorial-art-scholarship)
• 3-5 examples of your artistic work as digital images.
• A two-page (1,000 words) essay that addresses the applicant’s specific interests in art and why they believe art is important in society.

Detailed application instructions may be found by searching “Martia and Louis Smith” at www.npc.edu/scholarships.

You can become a patron of the arts in our White Mountain communities, and a patron of NPC, by donating to the Martia A. Smith endowment. Your tax-deductible contribution will promote the perpetuity of Mr. Smith’s generous gift, as well as the spirit of the artist, philosopher, and educator, Martia Smith. Executive Director of NPC Friends and Family, Betsyann Wilson, explains, “In these times when art is the first thing to be cut from school and municipal budgets, Martia Smith reminds us of its importance through her words: ‘A culture is known by the art it has.’” To learn more, please contact Wilson at (928) 536-6245 or betsy.wilson@npc.edu, and visit www.npcfriendsfamily.org. Your gift can change a student’s life!