Since the debut of her groundbreaking album Horses was released in 1975 — voted top 100 albums ever made by both Time Magazine and Rolling Stone — Patti Smith has fed the creative psyche of artists from her generation, and those beyond. A singer, poetess, and visual artist, Smith’s talents reach across the arts, as does her influence on the scene. Strands of her artistic vision and iconic personality can be seen in the works of fashion designers (see the androgyny of Smith’s penchant for men’s tailoring in the collections of Belgian designer, Ann Demeulemeester), writers (her 2010 renowned memoir Just Kids about her friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe won the United States’ National Book Award for Nonfiction) and of course musicians, that seek to follow in the footsteps of the “Godmother of Punk,” and carve out a distinct sound, unhindered by industry expectations.

An individual immersed in the artistic environment around her, the Art Gallery of Ontario’s ongoing exhibit, Patti Smith: Camera Solo — on till May 19th — offers fans a rare opportunity to glimpse Smith’s world through the artist’s own eyes, and trace the many facets of inspiration pouring into it. From literary heroes like French poet Arthur Rimbaud to family including son Jackson Smith, the subjects of Smith’s photos each represent a treasured stitch in the great tapestry of her creative vision.

Taken on Smith’s vintage Polaroid, black and white gelatin silver prints showcase the likes of Virginia Woolf’s bed at the Monk House and Walt Whitman’s tomb in Camden, NJ, inviting audiences to contemplate the connection between Smith’s photography and her enduring passion for poetry and literature.

Smith’s writing career has been a subject of much discussion as of late with last December’s announcement of an upcoming sequel to Just Kids, but then again, Smith inimitable career is as ceaselessly discussed as her name does perpetually hang in the air.

In honour of the AGO’s Patti Smith: Camera Solo exhibit, we talk to professionals from the arts and entertainment industry about the creative influence this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has exerted over generations of artists.

Who She Is: Marissa Nadler | Folk Singer/Songwriter & founder of Box of Cedar Records

How You Know Her: Making her mark on the music scene for almost a decade now, you’ve heard Nadler’s ethereal voice in the soundtrack to your heartache, comprised of dreamy tracks like “The Sun Always Reminds Me of You,” off her her fifth album. The record was notably funded by a fan-sponsered Kickstarted campaign, and released on the musician’s own label Box of Cedar Records. Listeners may also know Nadler from her buzzed about A cappella cover of the theme song from HBO’s Game of Thrones. Nadler like Smith enjoys exploring different artistic mediums, and counts painting (she graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and spent time as a portrait painter) as a talent in addition to singing and songwriting.

On Patti Smith :

Is there a particular Patti Smith song or album that in some way speaks to you?

Horses is one of my desert island albums. Out of the many songs that really reach me off that album, “Break It Up” is probably my favorite. There is a musical build in that song from narcotic and sexy as she starts the verse to a musical and lyrical explosion. I love the volatility and mercurial nature of this song, and Smith’s ability to balance the hard and soft, all the while infusing every bit of her lyric with pure poetry. When she finally reaches these moments of grandeur in this song, it’s better than the best orgasm you have ever had, and better than the best high that you have ever had.

What is it about Patti Smith’s music and poetry that enables it to both capture the Zeitgeist and crossover and relate to different generations?

I honestly just think that good music is good music and great music is undeniable. That may be an oversimplification, but I truly believe that if music is not following hype or scene, but instead following its own heart, it usually passes the test of time. Beauty lives forever in the Muchas and Modiglianis that line our world’s museums. I don’t see why music is any different or should be any different.

Describe the impact Patti Smith as a singer, songwriter, poet, and visual artist has had on the arts scene in 50 words or less.

I think, as a female artist, I have always appreciated that Smith has never used her sexuality as an exploitation tool. I think of her as a great equalizer, but also more rock and roll than pretty much anyone I can think of, male or female.

Who He Is: Peter Glanz | Director/Writer/Producer

How You Know Him: If you like fashion, you’ve seen Glanz’s work. He’s directed commercials for brands including Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, and Estee Lauder. And if you’re into film, than you’ll know Glanz as one of the premier young directors coming out of the international festival scene, with a résumé that includes a series of stylish shorts contemplating modern love as experienced by Glanz’s charming but glib protagonists, and his similarly themed first time feature, The Longest Week, starring Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde, Billy Crudup, and Tony Roberts, in theatres later this year.

On Patti Smith :

Is there a particular Patti Smith song or album that in some way speaks to you?

It’s hard to distill a single song or album, because I think it’s Patti Smith’s entire approach to the art of music that resonates with me. From her first albums (Horses and Easter) and their raw quality of combining rock and poetry to her performance last month for Tibet House where I saw her sing an Allen Ginsberg poem while Phillip Glass played the piano — she’s as close to poetry, to art, as music has. And that’s inspiring. Her reading of the poem sent chills up my arms, literally. Her voice has aged like wine. She’s not making music for others or commerce, she’s making it purely as an expression of herself and that’s rare in music, in film, in any field.

It’s coincidental that you’ve asked me to be involved in this questionnaire. I’m currently writing a gritty TV show (a pilot for AMC) set in New York in the ’70s, and I’ve been listening to her music a lot lately. Some songs for the first time, or at least it feels that way. I listen to her and Lou Reed’s music every morning to get me in the mindset, they’re my narrators in a sense. Their music embodies a time and place: New York. 1970s.

What is it about Patti Smith’s music and poetry that enables it to both capture the Zeitgeist and crossover and relate to different generations?

Unfortunately history repeats itself, both in the micro and the macro. People will always fall in love, out of love, harm one another, help one another, greed and generosity are equal parts human. Countries will attack, dictators will fall, governments will lie to their enemies and their people alike, prejudice and injustice doesn’t age, at times, it grows stronger. She sings about what she sees with an unfiltered looking glass and that speaks to the time, the Zeitgeist, and as generations pass, history repeats herself, and a lot of the songs she sang 40 years ago could be sung today with the same resonance. Her music affected my parents who lived in New York in the ’70s and equally, it has affected me…she’s a poet.

Describe the impact Patti Smith as a singer, songwriter, poet, and visual artist has had on the arts scene in 50 words or less.

She brought realism to music and subsequently, art as a whole. I love the music of the ’60s, but it was a time of ideology and romanticism, of what life could be. Then the bubble burst, New York became a techni-color bazaar of social disorder, and musicians like Patti Smith sang about what life was, not what it could be. She wrote songs with Springstein, plays with Shepard, immortalized the photos of Mapplethorpe.  She was a pioneer. In the battle of art and commerce, art won — she was the Joan Of Arc of the Lower East Side, of the Chelsea Hotel and CBGBs.

Who She Is: Pamela Littky | Photographer/Director

How You Know Her: You’ve seen Littky’s work in the pages of Rolling Stone, Spin and NME magazines, featuring photos of musicians spanning from indie cool kids Jenny Lewis and Karen O to chart topping pop wonders like Justin Bieber and M.I.A. The signature spontaneity of Littky’s photography has rendered a portfolio of rockstar photos that embody the energy of music as a medium of expression. Perpetually behind the camera, Littky also dabbles in documentary film, and has directed works including Owl City: Road Stories, which follows singer Adam Young on tour with his experimental band, Owl City.

On Patti Smith :

What is it about Patti Smith’s music and poetry that enables it to both capture the Zeitgeist and crossover and relate to different generations?

What enables Patti’s music and poetry to capture the zeitgeist and span generations is the fact that for decades she has been challenging herself, sometimes it’s a hit and sometimes it’s a miss, but I think when you do that, people are always going to follow you to see what you’re going to do next, which is how you have longevity well into your 60s like she does.

Describe the impact Patti Smith as a singer, songwriter, poet, and visual artist has had on the arts scene in 50 words or less.

I think the fact that Patti Smith has constantly challenged herself as a multi-disciplinary artist, and traveled the world for 40 years, contributes greatly to her impact on the international arts scene. At a certain point, after one has been so prolific for so many years, you’re going to have an undeniable influence. Patti has always been embraced internationally, probably because of the fact that her work does cross over into so many different areas, and the fact that her work is rooted in activism, which Europeans historically have embraced more than Americans.

Who She Is: Danielle Haim | Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist

How You Know Her: You may recognize her face from her band Haim’s cameo in Mumford & Sons music video for “Whispers in the Dark” or recognize her voice from the popular single “Forever,” but without question if you don’t know who Danielle Haim is yet, you will this year with the debut of her band’s first full-length album set for release this summer. Sharing the spotlight with her two sisters Alana and Este, the L.A. natives’ sound has the perfect amount of catchy sunny pop to its genre-bending tracks.

On Patti Smith :

Is there a particular Patti Smith song or album that in some way speaks to you?

I mean I love Horses, I love “Gloria,” I love “Because the Night…”  I think she is awesome. I love her poetry. I just think she is the shit. She is just fuck’n cool…I wish I could be that cool. I am a huge fan. I dont even know how to put it into words how I feel about her.

What is it about Patti Smith’s music and poetry that enables it to both capture the Zeitgeist and crossover and relate to different generations?

I mean I think she just kind of has a dream you know. Her songs, her as a person, is just a strong vibe. But her songs — and this is what I say about pop — her songs are so catchy and interesting, but they are really you know…pop. Like her earlier shit like Horses, it’s so so so catchy and exciting.

Describe the impact Patti Smith as a singer, songwriter, poet, and visual artist has had on the arts scene in 50 words or less.

I think she is just a dope ass chick running a rock and roll band, and you dont see that a lot. She doesn’t give a fuck.