Rachel McDermott
Independent CURATOR
Ever-Present Presence
ACRE Residency
May 2020
Stephanie Concepcion Ramirez, D’Angelo Lovell Williams, and Hannah Bates
Composites: An Active Return to Sites for Future Justice
MA Capstone Exhibition
May 9–24, 2019
Nancy Sánchez Tamayo, Santiago X,
Kelly Kristin Jones, Andrew George, Meg Malone, Chloe Nash, Swamp Dead: Ben Taylor with Sandy Guttman, and Todd Garon
curatorial assistant, Gallery 4oo
Chicago Disability Art, Activism, and Design: 1970s to Today
Gallery 400
September 15–October 20, 2018
cOMMUNICATIONS assistant
Félix Candela's Concrete Shells: An Engineered Architecture for México and Chicago
Gallery 400
January 19–March 3, 2018
Art gallery coordinator|2017-2018
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
Heather Macali, "Transformed," Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2017
Marium Rana, "A Place to Call Home," Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2017
Moraine Valley 2017 Faculty Exhibition, "New Work," Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2017
Soheila Azadi, "Inside Out," Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2018
Fidencio Martinez, "Legalities of Being," Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery 2016
Kate Shannon, "You Deserve More," Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2016
Charles Matson Lume, "What waits is often disguised (for William Stafford)," Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2016
Moraine Valley 2016 Faculty Exhibition, "New Work," Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2016
Joshua Brennan, "Sample the Remix", Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2017
33rd Annual High School Exhibition, Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, 2017.
Heather Macali, Transformed
August 14-September 21, 2017
Ferndale Michigan contemporary fiber artist Heather Macali’s Transformed creates positive energy within the gallery in contrast to the overwhelming negative content covered by modern media. Inspired by the 1980’s cartoon Transformers, these hand woven artworks with bright colors and patterns create a safe space for inner reflection and an escape from adverse stimulants.
Press: Virtusio, Jessi. "Artist goes back to the '80s with 'Transformers'-inspired weavings". Chicago Southtown. Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2017.
Marium Rana, A Place to Call Home
September 25-October 28, 2017
A Place to Call Home depicts the complexity of belonging to two different cultures and trying to make a home out of stories of places and moments one has not personally experienced. The paintings depict landscapes that do not exist in our tangible world, lost somewhere between the past and the present. These vibrant landscapes seem as imaginary as the places that have existed before us.
Press: Brashinger, Ginger. "Painter of miniatures blends Pakastani styles while bridging cultures." Chicago
Southtown. Chicago Tribune, 28 Sept. 2017.
Moraine Valley Art Faculty, 2017 New Work
November 1-December 15, 2017
Moraine Valley Art Faculty are invited to showcase new artwork created within a year of the exhibition. This exhibition creates a conversation between faculty and students and provides insight into the faculty's work. It also provides an annual exhibition for the faculty in order for them to encourage an active creative practice.
Soheila Azadi, Inside Out
January 10-February 7, 2018
Soheila Azadi is an interdisciplinary visual artist and lecturer based in Chicago and Iran. Azadi’s inspirations come from her experiences of being a woman while living under a theocracy. Now residing in the U.S. Azadi is dedicated to transnational feminism with passionate devotion to the ways in which race, religion, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity intersect. This exhibition will continue in the atrium.
Press: Virtusio, Jessi. "Artist gives voice to Muslim women through Palos Hills art exhibit." Chicago
Southtown. Chicago Tribune, 28 Dec. 2017.
Ellen Holtzblatt, Between Earth and Sky
February 12-March 9, 2018
Ellen Holtzblatt’s exhibition is inspired by her travels including Japan, Iceland, and the prairies of the Midwest. Her paintings explore the idea between physical being and spirituality with her attention to light and the ability to convey motion within her landscapes and scenes.
34th Annual High School Art Competition
March 13-19, 2018
This week-long annual high school exhibition showcases and celebrates the visual art programs of 11 local high schools.
Stacia Yeapanis, Where Do We Go From Here?
March 26-April 20, 2018
Inspired by impromptu public memorials, worship spaces, and the common phrase used across genres of music to convey feelings of pain and uncertainty, this installation is made from thousands of individual byproducts of non-goal-oriented gestures and provides viewers a space to be present and work through these emotions from personal and societal events. In conjunction with Stacia Yeapanis’ exhibition, the atrium will exhibit artwork curated by Yeapanis by Chicago artists who were given the phrase “Where Do We Go From Here?” Artists exhibiting work in the Fine and Performing Arts Center include Kathy Trumbull Fimreite, Brent Fogt, Melinda Thorpe Gordon, Jaclyn Jacunski, Jenny Kendler, Meg Leary, Geoffry Smalley, and Erin Washington
2018 MVCC Student Juried Art Exhibition
April 25-May 15, 2018
The diverse exhibition showcases student artwork including painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, photography, design, and printmaking. This is a juried exhibition with cash prizes, and the 2017 Juror is Stacia Yeapanis.
Gallery 2018 Juried Community Art Exhibition
June 1-August 6, 2018
This annual exhibition invites the community members to submit artworks for a juried exhibition with cash prizes.
The 2018 Juror is Andrew Reyes.
2016-2017
Fidencio Martinez, Legalities of Being
August 15-September 20, 2016
Martinez's work examines immigration, the drug war, and socioeconomic issues affecting Mexico In this work, Martinez manipulates paper, surfaces and maps to refer to the crafts and customs taught to him as a toddler in Oaxaca. He uses these techniques as a way to reconnect with a time and place no longer present.
Press: Virtusio, Jessi. "Palos Hills: Legalities of Being Explores Immigration Issues." Chicago Southtown. Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2016.
Fidencio Martinez, Double Valance, Fine and Performing Arts Center Atrium
August 15-September 20, 2016
Double Valance exhibits the silhouette of the wire fence is used as the framing device and subject exploring ideas of politicization of maps and the constant debate over "borders", "edges", and the people that must pass through them.
Kate Shannon, You Deserve More
September 26-November 1, 2016
Shannon used digitally manipulated photographs, animations, and videos to explore notions of happiness, love, and loss.
Press: Virtusio, Jessi. "You Deserve More" Photo Exhibit Captures People Having Fun." Chicago Southtown. Chicago Tribune,19 Sep. 2016.
Robert Johnson, Summer at the Beach, Fine and Performing Arts Center Atrium
September 26-November 1, 2016
Winner of the 2016 Juried Community Art Exhibition, Johnson exhibited 15 pastels and paintings depicting a variety of abstract and figurative forms.
Charles Matson Lume, What waits is often disguised (for William Stafford)
November 7-December 17, 2016
Matson Lume created a site-specific installation using light and common materials to address issues of the ineffable, poetry, and waiting. He stands with William Stafford when he states: It is difficult/to get the news from poems, yet men die miserably every day/for lack/of what is found there"
Moraine Valley Art Faculty, 2016 New Work
January 3-31, 2017
Moraine Valley Art Faculty are invited to showcase new artwork created within a year of the exhibition. This exhibition creates conversation between faculty and students and provides insight into the faculty's creative practice. It also provides an annual exhibition for the faculty in order for them to have a regular opportunity to exhibit work.
Press: Virtusio, Jessi. "DeCaprio Art Gallery showcases MVCC Faculty New Work." Chicago Southtown. Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2016.
Joshua Brennan, Sample the Remix
February 6-March 7, 2017
Brennan's unconventional abstract paintings are made from repurposing billboard prints, oscillate between high and lowbrow aesthetics while exploring concepts of appropriation, defacement, chance, and seriality.
Joshua Brennan, Live Streaming Prints, Fine and Performing Arts Center Atrium
February 6-March 7, 2017
Brennan's densely layered prints act as extensions of his paintings. By exploiting the concept of "state change" he creates many impressions that expand beyond the original imagery by integrating passages of both digital and analog information.
33rd Annual High School Art Competition
March 15-20, 2017
This week-long annual high school exhibition showcases and celebrates the visual art programs of 11 local high schools.
Mariah Karson, Modern David
March 25-April 25, 2017
Modern David is a photographic documentation of people named David and explores if there is a common thread, aesthetically or otherwise between participants other than the name. With modern media skewing the reception of reality and beauty, Modern David celebrates real individuals in a static and straightforward manner.
Press: Virtusio, Jessi. "Searching for 'Modern David." Chicago Southland. Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2017.
Mariah Karson, American Legion, Fine and Performing Arts Center Atrium
March 25-April 25, 2017
American Legion documents the lives of Legion members and the impact veterans and Posts have on communities. It combines a love of small-town America and a unique sense of patriotism. This work aims to increase public awareness, recognize member service, and celebrate the veteran service.
2017 MVCC Student Juried Art Exhibition
May 1-26, 2017
The diverse exhibition showcases student artwork including painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, photography, design, and printmaking. This is a juried exhibition with cash prizes, and the 2016 Juror was Mariah Karson.
Gallery 2017 Juried Community Art Exhibition
June 1-August 1, 2017
This annual exhibition invites the community members to submit artworks for a juried exhibition with cash prizes. The 2017 Juror was Raul de Lara,
Please email for more information about exhibitions.