A Family Heritage: The Creative Legacy of William V. Smith and the Smith Family
September 5th - December 12th, 2025
This exhibition celebrates the 50-year anniversary of when the SRJC Jesse Peter Memorial Native American Museum opened its doors on Sept. 27, 1975. This Museum was the creation of SRJC instructor William “Bill” Smith, son of a Dry Creek Pomo mother and a Bodega Bay Miwok father. Curated by Bill’s daughter, Sherrie Smith-Ferri, the exhibit surveys the creative legacy of five generations of his family: his grandmother, Rose Bill Lozinto; his mother, Lucy Lozinto Smith; his sisters, Kathleen Rose Smith and Nancy Napolitan; his nephew, Bruce Smith; his great-niece Stephanie Ferris, his granddaughter, Rachael Smith-Ferri, and, centrally, Bill, himself.
A Family Heritage: Reception Video link
On September 5th, 2025, the Santa Rosa Junior College Multicultural Museum held a reception for the exhibit “A Family Heritage: The Creative Legacy of William V Smith and the Smith Family”. At the reception, captured in this production, Sherrie Smith-Ferri spoke to a packed room about her family’s legacy. View the video by clicking on the image.
