As an Art Commissioner for the City of Alexandria, Smith contributed to the commissioning and development of Break Water (2025), a Site See public art installation by artist Nekisha Durrett. The work was installed in Waterfront Park from April through November 2025 as part of the City’s ongoing Site See: New Views in Old Town series.

“Break Water by Nekisha Durrett is the seventh installation in the Site See: New Views in Old Town annual public art series commissioned by the City of Alexandria through the Office of the Arts. The sculpture draws inspiration from Alexandria’s waterfront being a place where natural forces and human activity intersect, often with profound consequences.

The sculpture’s centerpiece, crafted from blackened wood, evokes the side-wheel of the steamboat River Queen, a vessel symbolizing Black ownership and opportunity from 1898 until its mysterious destruction by fire in 1911, shortly after its purchase by Lewis Jefferson, a Black entrepreneur. Encircled by black sandbags, the piece honors the resilience and strength of Black communities, referencing both protection and endurance during crises. Beneath the sculpture, a ground mural of tangled, taut ropes- called “Life Lines”- appears to tether the artwork to the park’s architectural elements, anchoring it against a symbolic undercurrent.”