a/perture cinema honors Jeffrey “Smitty” Smith with the inaugural a/ward

The a/ward honors persons who are making or have made significant contributions to both Downtown and the arts. Whether via gifts of their time, talents, or treasures, these individuals have shown dedication to improving the landscape of Winston-Salem’s Downtown with specific attention to the arts community.

The 2022 a/ward honors Smith for his contribution to Winston-Salem, Downtown and the arts community through Smitty’s Notes, currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary. In 1997, when e-mail and the internet were in their early period, Smith started sending emails out to friends about what to do in Winston-Salem. It caught fire with his friends, and as a joke he called it Smitty’s Notes. What began as an email with a dozen subscribers has now grown into a newsletter with over 16,000 subscribers and a website that ranks among the most powerful information sources in Winston-Salem. There would be no Smitty’s Notes without Jeffrey L. Smith, this year’s a/ward winner.

Smith was presented with a seat named after him in one of the a/perture theaters and gifts have been made in his honor totaling $1,500. Special thanks to SueMo Consulting and Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership for their support.

“I feel fortunate and very happy to be the inaugural winner of this award this year. It means a whole lot to me.” said Smith

check out the great press in Yes! Weekly and Winston-Salem Chronicle on Jeff’s a/ward.

see Jeff onscreen all April at a/ and check out his full exposure video below!

contributions from SueMo Consulting and the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership were made to a/perture in Jeff Smith’s honor.