Rachel Adams

Chief Curator and Director of Programs at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

About

I am a contemporary art curator, and writer living in Omaha, NE and working at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. At Bemis Center, I curate exhibitions and LOW END sound performances and am the director of our international artist residency program. Recent exhibitions include "From the Great Lakes to the Great Plains: The Visible Currents of Climate Change," "Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers," co-curated with Amy Smith-Stewart, "Presence in the Pause: Interiority and its Radical Immanence," "Carmen Winant: The last safe abortion," "Maya Dunietz: Root of Two," "All Together, Amongst Many: Reflections on Empathy," "Alison O’Daniel: Heavy Air," "Ernesto Burgos: Implications," "Light, Line, Color and Space," "Wanderlust: Actions, Traces, Journeys 1967-2017," "Lydia Okumura: Situations," "The Language of Objects" and Introducing "Tony Conrad: A Retrospective", co-curated with Cathleen Chaffee. I have also worked with artists John Grade, Seher Shah, Amie Siegel, Richard T. Walker and Erin Curtis at The Contemporary Austin; Claire Ashley, Bahar Yurukoglu, Nathan Green, Pablo Rasgado, Kevin Cooley, Jessica Mallios, Laura Vandenburgh, and Andy Coolquitt at Oregon Contemporary in Portland. I am the co-founder of Field Constructs Design Competition with Catherine Gavin and Igor Siddiqui, that happened in November 2015 in Austin. I have written for various publications including artforum.com, Art Papers, Modern Painters and Texas Architect. My exhibition catalogues have been published by X Artists' Books, MIT Press, Sternberg Press and University of Chicago Press. Forthcoming projects include solo exhibitions with Ezra Masch and Miatta Kawinzi.

Experience

  • Chief Curator and Director of Programs at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
    Oct 2018 - Present · 7 yrs 9 mos

  • Independent Curator at Rachel Adams Projects
    Jul 2013 - Present · 13 yrs

    I am a curator and writer working internationally. Upcoming projects include Justin Cooper at testsite in austin, Interstice, group exhibition in New York, and two commissioned projects at The Contemporary Austin with John Grade and Richard T. Walker. I write for publications such as Arts + Culture Texas, Texas Architect, and Modern Painters.

  • University at Buffalo Art Galleries (Buffalo/Niagara, New York Area)
    • Senior Curator of Exhibitions
      Jun 2016 - Oct 2018 · 2 yrs 5 mos

    • Associate Curator
      Mar 2015 - Jun 2016 · 1 yr 4 mos

  • Curator-in-Residence at Disjecta Contemporary Art Center
    May 2014 - Apr 2015 · 1 yr

  • Associate Curator of Exhibitions and Public Programs at Arthouse at the Jones Center (now The Contemporary Austin)
    Jun 2010 - Aug 2013 · 3 yrs 3 mos

    I curate exhibitions and plan and implement public programs at two locations.