Jessica Smith

American, b. 1971, Ithaca, New York; lives and works in Savannah, Georgia

Jessica Smith produces a limited-edition line of textiles under the name Domestic Element. Using a digital textile printer, she creates patterns of cloverleaf highway ramps that resemble Celtic knots, bold cul-de-sac mazes, and houses from Levittown that are as ubiquitous as polka dots. Her interest in merging historical decorative traditions with contemporary themes comes from her belief in “the house as a symbol of self and the notion that how we decorate relates directly to our personal and communal beliefs, aspirations and values.” Her pattern Trash Day (2005/2007) was inspired by the French toile de Jouy tradition. Smith adapted the quaint pastoral scenes shown in outline on a white background to the suburbs because ‘‘I wanted to make my own pastoral countryside, and the countryside of America is the suburbs.” The inherent repetition of the houses in Trash Day and the cans stacked by the curb is an ironic commentary on the homogeneity of suburbia. Her inspiration came from a childhood spent in such subdivisions. “Each Sunday families spend hours sprucing up their homes. . . . The second part of this ritual comes later in the week, when curbsides become overwhelmed with trash. . . . For those few hours while our rubbish waits, we have reversed our earlier act, and instead of sweeping up our unwanted goods, [we’re] leaving them out for all to see.” Smith’s work has been exhibited at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York; Atlanta Design Museum; and School of Visual Arts, New York. Her work has been featured in such publications as the New York Times, The Times of London; GQ magazine, and I.D. Magazine.