Rachel Leah Cohn
www.rachelleahcohn.com
b. 1983, Boston, MA. Currently lives and works in Indianapolis, IN.
Education
2013 Master of Fine Arts, Painting, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
2005 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Professional Experience
2019- Ball State University School of Art, Assistant Professor of Art and Foundations Coordinator, Muncie, IN
2014-2019 VCUarts Qatar, Assistant Professor of Art Foundation, Doha, Qatar
2012-2014 Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Adjunct instructor, Richmond, VA
Selected Exhibitions/Performances
2025. Bitter Water, The River Campus Art Gallery, SEMO, Cape Girardeau, MO (upcoming Jan)
2024. P-ART-Y Festival, Jam Public, Kristiansand, Norway
Mem, Tube Factory Artspace, Big Car Collective, Indianapolis, IN
2023. Religion Spirituality and Art Retrospective, Arthur M. Glick JCC, Indianapolis, IN
Go More Slowly Over the Earth, Companion Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
Gemstones, UIS Visual Arts Gallery, University of Illinois Springfield
I Will Not Let You Go Until You Bless Me, IUPUI, Harrison Center, Indianapolis, IN 2024
2022 Water Signs, with ACRE Projects, Drama Club, Chicago, IL (upcoming, December)
Lumpland, Muncie Makes Space, Muncie, IN
2021 Keep in Touch (K.I.T.): Terrain Biennial 2021, Enos Park, Springfield, IL
Flat Earthers, The Engine Room, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand, curated by Raewyn Martyn and John Lake
Sapientia Gloria Corona Est, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary, New Harmony, IN
2020 ART-IN-PLACE, Terrain Exhibitions and CNL Projects, online
Home Office Cinema, That One Film Festival, Muncie, IN
2019 Terrain Biennial, Enos Park, Springfield, IL
2018 States of Transformation, Qatar Contemporary Art and Photography, Qatar Museums, Manege Central Exhibition Hall, St. Petersburg
Made by Qatar, Transitional School, School of Schools, Istanbul Biennale, Istanbul, Qatar
Dual Inspiration, Fire Station Artist-in-Residence, Qatar Museums, Doha, Qatar
2017 Contemporary Art Qatar, Articulating the Particular, Qatar Museums, Kraftwerk, Berlin, Germany, curated by Dr. Bahaa Abudaya and
Aisha Nasser Al Sowaidi.
Searching for a Fata Morgana, Atelierhaus Salzkamt, Linz, Austria
2016 Ghost Ship Float, Stephen and George Laundry Line, Ridgewood, NY
Geo Necro, curated by Ryan Browning and Casey Smith, ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA
Hot Pot Sauna, Aformal Academy, Bi-City Biennale for Architecture and Urbanism, Shenzhen, China
2015 Memory Palace, Halka Art Project, Istanbul, Turkey
WORK II, Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Richmond, VA
2014 Exquisite Corpse, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Recuperative Tactics, Art in General, NY, NY
Nonesuch Tales of Ardea Herodias, Anderson Gallery, Richmond, VA
SP Weather Reports (2008-2013), Center for Book Arts, NY, NY
Actualize, curated by Jessica Langley, Ortega y Gasset Projects, Brooklyn, NY
Residencies and Awards
2024. Arteles Creative Center, Haukijärvi, Finland. May and June
2023. ACRE (Artist’s Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions), WI, July.
Aspire CREATE Grant, “Art in the Public Sphere,” Ball State University SPA
Wagner Innovation in Teaching Funding, Ball State University
2022 Aspire Grant, “Art in the Public Sphere,” Ball State University SPA
Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT, June
2021 Te Whare Hera Interationational Artist Residency, Wellington, New Zealand, July (virtual)
ACRE (Artist’s Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions), Wisconsin, July.
Discover Grant, “Community Engagement in the Public Sphere,” Discovery Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Group
2019 Summer Residency, Otis College, Los Angeles, CA. June.
Signal Culture, Owego, NY. May.
2018 Exploratory Grant, “Light and Landscape Textile Design,” VCUarts Qatar
Faculty Research Grant, “Mirage for Russia,” VCUarts Qatar
Fire Station Artist-in-Residence Program, Doha Qatar (September 2017-June 2018)
2017 Atelierhaus Salzkamt, Linz, Austria
Faculty Research Grant, “Searching for a Fata Morgana,”VCUarts Qatar
2016 Exploratory Grant, “Where are you bound for/where are you bound from,” VCUarts in Qatar
2015 Aformal Academy, Bi-City Biennale for Architecture and Urbanism. Shenzhen, China. Dec.- Jan. 2016
Mildred’s Lane, LAND Fellow, Beach Lake, PA. August 2015.
2014 Halka Art Project. Istanbul, Turkey. December-January 2015.
Marpha Art Foundation. Marpha, Nepal. November 2014.
2013 InLight Richmond, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA, Awarded “Best in Show”
Thesis/Dissertation Assistantship, Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate School
Special Projects/ Bibliography
2021
Flat Earthers: Unpleasant Truths/Comfortable Lies, ed. John Lake and Raewyn Martyn, July
McCracken Merris, Erin. “New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art hosts exhibition, Sapientia Gloria Corona Est.” University of Southern Indiana. 4 May.
2018
Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen) Special Issue: Aformal Academy, Chapter 4: Residing/Water in the City pp 84-88
2017
Zeitgenossische Kunst Katar: Ausstellung im Kraftwerk Berlin, www.zdf.de. 11 Dec.
Brandmayr, Tanja. “Searching for a Fata Morgana.” diereferentin.servus.at. 1 Sept.
2014
“Cupcakes for Joan Jonas.” Love Letters to Artists, Ortega y Gasset Gazette, February 2014.
Salsbury, Brittany. Critic’s Picks New York: “Actualize”. artforum.com. 22 Jan.
2013
Newton, Karen. “Night Light.” Style Weekly. 5 Nov.
Commissioned Portraits, National Council of Art Administrators Conference, VCU, September, Awards commissioned by Richard Roth for Bill and Pam Royall and Richard Toscan
Zalecki, Megan. “Energy and Motion.” richmondartsreview.com. 17 June
SP Weather Station Report 2012, November, Norwegian Værmaskin (Weather Machine), with Frej Meinlid Larsen, Ebbe Dam Meinlid and Laurids Sonne, Queens, New York
Selected Presentations and Workshops
“Fresh Starts,” FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education), Imposter Syndrome: Supporting New Instructors in Art Foundation, Apr 2023
“But Does Anyone Really Know What Time (it) Is?,” FATE, I Want to Design a First-Year Foundations Experience. But...,April 2023
“Some Silly Stories,” CAA (College Art Association), Serious Play: A Project Share and Workshop (FATE), February 2023.
Artist Talk, University of Wisconsin La Crosse, La Crosse, WI. November 2021.
Artist Talk, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, with Audrey Barcio and Shauta Marsh. New Harmony, IN. June 2021
“Collaborative Strategies Toward An Updated Curriculum,” FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education), April 2021, Pendulum or Wrecking Ball: Considering Shifts in Curricular Overhaul”
“Updating Foundations during COVID-19,” CAA (College Art Association), February 2021, Art Foundations: Core Values and Remote Learning”
“Not a Video Class: 4D Foundations”, SECAC (Southeastern College Art Conference), November 2020, Innovative Foundations
"Made by Qatar: Casting for Sustainability," Panel: Contemporary Art and Petrocultures of the Middle East, College Art Association, New York City, NY, February 2019
"Designer Conversations: Aformal Academy x ARK.Lab," Arkbank Sanat, Istanbul, Turkey, 4th Annual Istanbul Design Biennial, September 2018
Art and the City: From Local to Transnational, Panel Member, Art 29, W Hotel, Doha Qatar, January 2018
Workshops
Paper Puppet Performance, University Wisconsin La Crosse, Printmaking and Sculpture, Nov. 2021
Zine Workshop, American University of Kuwait, Graphic Design, April 2019
Made by Qatar, in collaboration with Aformal Academy and Transitional School, Doha Fire Station Artist-in-Residency, Qatar Museums, August 2018