Rachel & Katie Rearick

As a married couple, Katie and Rachel are visual thinkers and makers. From early on in their relationship, they have employed conversation drawing. Approaching the exhibition, Katie and Rachel spent 30 minutes per day conversing through drawing, for one month. They communicated through lines and shapes on a large sheet of paper, which encouraged an intuitive exchange of emotion.

Once that process was complete, each of them chose components of the drawing that resonated to them individually. Rachel created a suite of monotypes while Katie worked on the sculptural elements.

During the exhibition, the couple begin another conversation drawing in the gallery, adding to it weekly.

On exhibit at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts February 12th- April 17th, 2016.

Continued Conversations is collaboration between Katie and Rachel Rearick. As a married couple they are a pair of visual thinkers and makers, working together in their home studios. They communicate through a variety of methods to express their thoughts, feelings, and intentions. From early on in their relationship, they employed conversation drawing and various art forms to dialogue with one another.

Because relationships are a dance of interactions, reactions and movements; the lines, marks, and folds within the collaborative work speaks to the evolving layers and patterns that are created within their relationship.

On exhibit at Gallery One, Collective Works in Pittsburgh, PA November 2018

Traverse glacial depictions and abstract scenery as you make your way through the gallery, to view this body of landscapes created by Katie and Rachel Rearick. Utilizing lines and bold mark-making, Rachel comes to the collaboration with angles and delineation of space on paper, to evoke recollections of places that the couple has traveled. Katie then responds to the recollections by incising and folding the paper, drawing from patterns that are derived from everyday experiences. The marriage of paper and steel within this body of work is representative of repetitive elements of both their collaborative relationship and individual practices; as well as the dichotomy of the chill of a snow-covered mountain, and the warmth that exists within a home.

In addition to their collaborative work Rachel and Katie each have a series of solo work on exhibit.

On view through November 14th, 2020 by appointment at BE Galleries.

Artist Lecture on Zoom Nov 8, 2020 (see below for recording)

New Art Gallery Opening in Aspinwall: KURATEDpgh

Rachel Rearick (Arts and Culture Manager at Pittsburgh International Airport) and Katie Rearick (Faculty at Waynesburg University) are opening an art gallery in Aspinwall in mid-October. They will be curating fine art and functional craft for the space.

As a married couple, the pair has been curating exhibitions in their free time throughout the past few years – while working collaboratively to exhibit their own artwork.

Rachel is passionate about creating space and opportunities for artists; consistently pushing for inclusion within those spaces. While she will continue on in her role at the airport, she says that “KURATEDpgh is an opportunity to work alongside Katie to show work that we personally enjoy and in some cases collect ourselves; while also creating opportunities to dialogue with the community about artist intent and content within the work, on a deeper level.”

While Katie will also maintain her teaching position, she looks forward to furthering her involvement in the Pittsburgh arts landscape. Having founded the Allegheny Metals Collective in 2015, Katie says, “I’m looking forward to settling into the gallery and gradually bringing in a wide variety of media and styles to exhibit.”

Both Rachel and Katie have watched the impacts that covid has had on the arts community within the region, and believe that sharing the joy and resiliency of art is necessary now more than ever. They hope that their new space will further provide visibility to artists, especially during this difficult time. “Pittsburgh has a robust arts community that is not only making work, but also encouraging conversations around a plethora of topics. At the same time, our artists need a better financial ecosystem, we need more people outside of the arts community getting to know artists and ultimately collecting their work, in order to sustain what is happening here,” said Rachel.

KURATEDpgh will open on October 17th with a grouping of fine artists working across various media as well as ceramics.

www.kuratedpgh.com