The Smell of Earth: Seitu K. Jones Working in the Elements celebrates the four-decade career of St. Paul multi-disciplinary artist Seitu K. Jones. Jones, who describes his practice as “tending the soil of community,” is also a master gardener, food justice advocate, historian, and archivist. He leverages his role as an artist to connect with and support neighbors, scholars, artists, and culture bearers, while prioritizing knowledge-sharing and legacy preservation for African American artists. For Jones, nourishment is rooted in relationship-building, collaboration, placemaking, and a desire to ensure thriving futures for his community: “I aim to not only support the community where my work lives, but to channel the love and contributions of the community itself,” he writes. “It is my intention to continue to honor the history of a place and capture the present moment to foster a rich civic life for all.”

Jones is well-known for his over 40 large-scale public art projects that shape the Twin Cities landscape, as well as his communal Community Meal events encouraging dialogue among neighbors to bridge understanding. The Smell of Earth is a deep exploration of his less-examined studio work, shown alongside objects and ephemera from his extensive archive documenting his experience as a Black artist in Minnesota. Through drawings, paintings, sculptures, and design, Jones honors African American culture, symbolism, history, and ancestral knowledge.