 During his tenure, the Institute became an international centre for the study of contemporary visual cultures.He was a founding board member of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, and remained on that Board until 2001.When Ian Burn and Nigel Lendon returned to Australia in 1976, Smith joined with them to found Media Action Group, which soon was augmented by others, including Ian Milliss, and became Union Media Services (Sydney), an independent, artist-run organisation that provided graphic art services to the union movement and dissident groups.