Kara Q Smith

Kara Q Smith is an experienced academic and arts professional currently serving as the Interim Director and Professor of MFA Interdisciplinary Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno, where responsibilities include teaching courses such as Collaborative Strategies and Curatorial & Writing Practices for Artists. Kara is also a co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Craft Strategy Studio and has held key positions including Manager of Programs and Organizational Advancement at Californians for the Arts and Executive Director at Gallup MainStreet Arts & Cultural District. Previous roles encompass curatorial and editorial positions at institutions like the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, in addition to mentoring in the NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program. Kara holds a Master’s degree in Urban Studies from the San Francisco Art Institute and a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Birmingham-Southern College.