Fine Arts Assistant Professor Rebecca Smith holds a copy of "Ladder of Divine Ascent," a 12-century Byzantine icon. (Court Johnson/Wake Tech)

Students in the Art History I class roar with laughter as Fine Arts Assistant Professor Rebecca Smith discusses the bizarre proportions on a Byzantine statue.

"That is an intensely enormous foot," Smith said, explaining that Byzantine artists routinely sacrificed realism to emphasize wealth and power within the empire. "Everything is too big."

Studying centuries of artwork and trends in painting, sculpture and architecture has never been too overwhelming for Smith, Wake Tech's Instructor of the Year for 2025.

The daughter of a painter and a computer programmer who had studied art history, she was almost destined for the field. Although her parents encouraged her to pursue other interests, fearing she wouldn't be able to find a job – "Mom wanted me to be a lawyer or a plumber," she said – they never discouraged her interest in art. In fact, the family would often go out of its way on vacations to check out interesting architecture or sculptures.

But it was time studying near León, Spain, that sparked Smith's ultimate passion – Gothic cathedrals.

"Aside from the art and the architecture there, you can study religion, history, politics, study engineering," she said. "Everything sort of mingles together."

Likewise, Smith blends discussion of religion and politics into her Wake Tech classes. Characters in Egyptian art, for example, become more androgynous after the culture moves from polytheism to monotheism. And depictions of Jesus become more elaborate once Christianity is legalized in the Roman Empire.

"She's one of my favorites," student Jessica Demontigny said of Smith. "She makes whatever we're covering engaging."

"She's very enthusiastic," student Rhett Thomas said. "She's a huge nerd, which makes classes interesting and pretty chill."

Smith revels in the "nerd" characterization, saying things like "Star Wars" movies, Dungeons & Dragons games and awkward documentaries not only fuel her creativity, they make her more relatable to students.

"Learning should be fun," she said. "If you keep everything straight and super-formal, you're going to lose them."

Smith often sends students to the North Carolina Museum of Art to get them more comfortable with art. They then discuss in class what they liked and disliked there and concepts such as how standards of beauty change over time.

"The museum breaks down the anxiety some students have about art," she said. "Once you feel more welcome around it, it can change your life and become a wonderful experience."

Smith joined Wake Tech in 2018, immediately after earning her doctorate from the University of Iowa. At the time, she didn't want to wait on a job to open at a museum, and she now says she couldn't imagine not being a teacher.

"Students here have a zeal, a real passion when you engage them in class. You can see their eyes light up," she said. "I have my dream job. I don't know if I could find a better place."