About

Deb was an artistic child who made comic books for her friends in grade school. Although she loved art, her career interests gravitated to psychology, biology, and in particular, marine biology, in part influenced by summer studies at Virginia's Marine Science Consortium. While pursuing post-graduate work in marine ecology, she also took photography classes, sometimes using her laboratory settings for objects and backdrops where she created some very interesting work.

Following the purchase of a mid-century modern house in 1994 in Altadena, she and her wife became active in studying, touring, and preserving mid-century modern structures, including taking photographs of mid-century modern buildings around the country.   Mid-century modern homes, design, and fashion inform Deb's artistic focus, in addition to photographing street art, urban ephemera, and queer spaces. 

In January, 2020, Deb curated a major architectural photography show at the Neutra Gallery in Silverlake. She was the show's main photographer; the show also included works by preservationist Adriene Biondo and Nikki Kreuzer. This show also featured photos of the work of architect Richard Neutra and his son, Dion, as this gallery was previously their workplace. Historians and professional photographers including Alan Hess, Raymond Neutra, and Steven Schafer participated in the show. The Neutra family later used this exhibit as the setting for a family dinner and memorial viewing event for Dion.

Since then, she has curated and showed her work at the first two Altadena LGTBQ+ pride art galleries, included two of her photos at a show the Makery Gallery in Little Tokyo (Los Angeles), and wrapped up a 5 month show in February of her mid-century modern architecture at the Palm Springs library (including two official ticketed Palm Springs Modernism viewing events). She also showed her photography at Pasadena Heritage at an event focused on mid-century modern architecture.

Given her 35+ year career in water quality policy and regulation, she has also collected photos of various manhole covers throughout the world; she exhibited many of these pieces in March 2023 at the Stephen Baumbach Gallery in Palm Springs.

Her latest show at Bestor Architecture’s large gallery in Silverlake was a collaboration with friend and felt sculptor, Linda Santiman. This show matched a number of felt houses and Deb’s photographs together where they both depicted the same or similar architectural style as well as a separate wall for each others work.

Deb continues to find inspiration in her passion for science and art as manifested in the built environment, as well as in caring for her two rescue dogs, Maude and Murdoch.  

For more information:

Email:  smith.deborahjoyce@gmail.com

Website: Movedbymodern.com

Social Media:

IG: @modmixtress

FB: Moved by Modern – Photography by Deb Smith