Colleen Couch and Dolph Smith: Walk in the Light

Colleen Couch and Dolph Smith share deeply interconnected lives. Both are BFA graduates of the Memphis College of Art, Smith in 1960 and Couch in 2000. Likewise, both were faculty members at MCA; Smith (1965-1995) taught watercolor and later was the founder of the papermaking and book arts programs, while Couch (2012-2016) taught papermaking, bookmaking, and installation art. Although Couch was never Smith’s student, she considers the elder artist, now ninety-one, to be a mentor. They even share papermaking equipment. Couch recalls that she spent so much time traveling from Memphis to Ripley, Tennessee, to use Smith’s tools and machines, that he eventually gave all of them to her for use in her Midtown studio. Deepening their bond is the fact that Couch is Smith’s former daughter-in-law, and the mother of three of his grandchildren.

In 2023, Couch began archiving Smith’s studio, files, slides, and art collection. She found the experience newly inspirational for her own practice as a sculptural papermaker. It also helped her to see the impact of Smith’s long and innovative career. Using what Couch found in these archives as a starting point, the joint exhibition Walk in the Light showcases the arc of Smith’s oeuvre through drawings, paintings, and artist’s books; includes new works by Couch inspired by Smith and his devotion to his beloved wife Jessie (1935 – 2020); and features two recent collaborations by Couch and Smith working together as papermakers, family, and friends.

Learn more at the Munch and Learn: Blissfully Adrift in Tennarkippi on Wednesday, June 18.