About Rachel

Rachel Linnemann is an Appalachian artist teaching at the University of Cincinnati where she received her Master’s in Fine Art in 2021. She graduated from Northern Kentucky University in 2012 with a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art and a minor in Psychology. Linnemann was chosen for the Revealed early career artist series for the Sculpture Center and will have a 2024 solo show. Linnemann was awarded first place in the 2021 Miami University Young Sculptors Competition for the $10,000 William and Dorothy Yeck Award juried by Mark Dion. As a result she debuted her solo show, Appalachian Woman, at the Miami University Lee Gallery in 2022. Her thesis was awarded Best in School for DAAPcares, 2021. She has worked as a professional Artist, Educator, and Preparator for various organizations such as the Cincinnati Art Museum (OH), Bucknell University (PA), Artworks Cincinnati (OH), and Applied Imagination (KY). Linnemann recently completed a residency with the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio where she exhibited for the show Emerge. Her work has been shown in Ohio, Michigan, Greece, Louisiana, Indiana, Maryland, and Kentucky. She works across media to develop a language surrounding mental health, growth, resilience, and joy.

Linnemann is a found objects artist, utilizing recognizable objects of labor and femininity to celebrate her Appalachian ancestors. Reflecting on her upbringing, she is examining generational trauma and generational knowledge and its connection to labor. She often heard stories of hardship partnered with stories of gratitude and strength. These life lessons and family histories were often shared over communal meals or while doing physical labor like breaking green beans on the porch with her female family members. These intimate moments of joy, like a home cooked meal, created core memories of family, gratitude, and an appreciation for the labor of the feast. However, the conversations shared were often a stark contrast to the laughter, delicious food, and the costume jewelry worn by relatives. There was an understanding of the darkness of the world balanced with the gratitude for the present moment and an emphasis on knowledge being protection from the past. Like a butterfly perched on barbed wire, one a symbol of freedom and something delicate, another a symbol of strength and oppression, Linnemann’s memories are a balance of opposition.