Rachel Adams, chief curator and director of programs for the Bemis Center of Contemporary Art
Grand Central Art Center, in collaboration with the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, invites the Titan community to a March 7 curator talk with Rachel Adams, chief curator and director of programs for the Bemis Center of Contemporary Art.
The event will take place at 7 p.m. at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, located at 117 North Sycamore Street in Santa Ana. This event marks the first program in a curatorial lecture series that brings together industry professionals from diverse institutions to share their insight into curatorial processes and research, while highlighting ongoing projects, exhibitions and programs.
Adams has served as chief curator and director of programs at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art since 2018. Previously, she held curatorial positions at the University at Buffalo Art Galleries, Disjecta Contemporary Art Center — now Oregon Contemporary — and Arthouse at the Jones Center — now The Contemporary Austin.
She holds a Master of Arts in exhibition and museum studies from the San Francisco Art Institute and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Adams’ practice is centered on fostering meaningful relationships with artists and advancing projects at the intersections of photography, installation, sound, performance, video, new media and architecture. At Bemis, she has organized several exhibitions, including “From the Great Lakes to the Great Plains: The Visible Current of Climate Change;” “Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers;” “Paul Mpagi Sepuya: Drop Scene;” and “Claudia Wieser: Generations.” She also directs programming for LOW END, the Bemis Center’s Mellon Foundation-supported sound venue, which has presented a wide range of experimental performers. Forthcoming exhibitions include projects with Miatta Kawinzi and Ezra Masch.
Adams has worked with such artists as Ekene Ijeoma, Amie Siegel, Ragnar Kjartansson and Julia Rose Sutherland. Her writing has appeared in numerous catalogues and publications, including Afterimage, artforum.com, Art Papers and Modern Painters. An alum of the 2016 ICI Curatorial Intensive and the Artis Curatorial Research Trip to Israel, she has lectured widely at universities and arts institutions across the United States.
The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts supports artists by fostering experimentation, dialogue and the creation of new work, while connecting local and global communities through innovative exhibitions, public programs and an international residency program. Grounded in values of access, curiosity and critical exchange, the center serves as a platform where contemporary art becomes a catalyst for understanding, collaboration and cultural growth.