AUGUST 15 • 2024 | 55
J
N
W
hat comes to mind when you
hear the word maze? Are you
picturing a one-dimensional
black-and-white shape where the goal is to
find the path from one opening to another or
to the center? Well, you are in for a treat! It is
time to catch up and keep up with the ever-
evolving genius of Jacob Evan Smith and his
creative enterprise MazySuzan.
Smith has been drawing since before he can
recall. He was especially drawn to doodling
mazes. “My mom jokes she used to find me
passed out with a pen and paper in my bed a
lot,
” Smith says.
Doodling mazes became a necessary
means of focus rather than a distraction. “It
was an activity that was really important for
my mental health, even as a little boy,
” Smith
adds. “Increasingly throughout school, it was
a real focus activity for me. I was a big-time
margin doodler. I’
d be drawing stuff during
class, not because I wasn’t paying attention,
but because it was essential for me to pay
attention.
”
Smith grew up in West Bloomfield. He
attended Groves High School and completed
his undergraduate studies at the University
of Michigan Ross School of Business. Many
of Smith’s Michigan classmates left the state
after graduation in 2010. Unlike his peers,
Smith stayed in Michigan and focused on the
nascent tech startup scene and community
organizing in Detroit.
“My career could loosely be summarized
into connecting people and explaining
complex things in simple terms,
” he says.
Smith turned his love for mazes into a
design studio, MazySuzan, which focuses on
interactive art objects for homes and offices.
The initial focus is wall art, but its catalog
will soon feature sculptures, puzzles, games
and more. The name is not in honor of any
Suzan in particular, Smith just appreciates
the sound and symmetry of the name. It is an
intentionally whimsical play on “Lazy Susan,
”
highlighting the fun and interactive nature of
his designs.
Smith is increasingly gaining recognition
for his work and opportunities to share his
art. In 2024, Smith, for the second time, led
a workshop at The Well’s ShavuART. He was
also a featured artist at ORT’s Art and the
City. His work has been featured in several
local galleries, including a solo show at
Corktown Studios this past November.
It is time to experience MazySuzan for
yourself. The next MazySuzan exhibit, The
Wonder of Wandering, opens at the New
Dodge Lounge in Hamtramck on Sunday,
Aug. 18, from 3-7 p.m.
“I’ll be showcasing my new series of
woodcut maze sculptures that invite your
inner child out to play,
” Smith says. “Join me
as we celebrate getting lost in the present
moment!”
For more information and to RSVP
, visit:
bit.ly/the-wonder-of-wandering.
Experience the artistic evolution
of Jacob Evan Smith.
MAZES
Reimagined
YEVGENIYA GAZMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
ART
“Dizzy Maze”
by Jacob
Evan Smith
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JACOB EVAN SMITH
Jacob
Evan
Smith
Jacob Evan
Smith at
work