Greer Smith is founder and president of TRANSART & Cultural Services, Inc. The organization’s mission reflects her commitment to promote an understanding and appreciation of the culture, history and arts of the African Diaspora. Smith’s talents run deep and have been applied across a spectrum of functions and organizations. Her experience includes over twenty years of arts management and programming, fundraising, program development, producing, and organizing in various media. This diverse career has been founded on service to community, a belief in life-long learning and played out over a soundtrack of jazz.
Since relocating TRANSART to the Hudson Valley, Smith has focused the organization’s resources on developing and bringing programming to New York’s Hudson River Valley. She has become a leading consultant to the arts and humanities community in the region. Exhibitions of fine art and the history of the Hudson Valley as well as the cross-cultural aesthetics of the diaspora and world cultures. She has been the curatorial force behind significant exhibitions on art and history throughout her career. Notably, Somebody’s Calling My Name organized for the quadri-centennial of the city of Kingston. This exhibition was installed in 4 locations in various areas in the city of Kingston including: Uptown, Rondout, Midtown. Part of the exhibition was developed by Smith into a panelized traveling exhibit that has been displayed in the north east as well as annually in the Ulster County Legislative Bldg.
Prior to her work in institutional development for the arts, Smith produced programming for broadcast and corporate media. Among her clients were: Nestle, Grumman Aerospace, Hoffman-LaRoche Laboratories and HBO. She was lead consultant to the Brooklyn International African Arts Festival; responsible for its ultimate branding and position as part of the multi-cultural fabric of the city of New York. In her role as consultant Smith worked with renown printmaker Robert Blackburn developing a plan for his successorship from the Printmaking Workshop.
Smith also served as Executive Director of the MUSE Community Museum of Brooklyn, developing a music program that nurtured the creativity of jazz musicians who have become part of jazz history. Her other activities include working on Human Rights issues with NGOs through the Southern Diaspora Research Center and United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.
In 2000, Smith marshaled the resources to produce an afternoon concert featuring a commissioned piece by jazz legend Ahmad Jamal, in West Park, Ulster County. Under her direction, that afternoon has grown to be Jazz in the Valley (JITV), an annual festival featuring such world-renowned musicians and jazz masters.
Made in Kingston, NY