Rachel Gardner (b. 1987)

Rachel Gardner is a Houston-based mixed-media artist that specializes in sculpture and painting. She is best known for her life-size wolf sculptures. Her work has been shown in both museums and galleries, nationally and internationally. Locations of her shows and installations include Houston, Dallas, San Angelo, New York City, Washington D.C., Germany, and Greece. She received her BFA from Stephen F. Austin State University and her MFA from Houston Baptist University.

For the past ten years, Rachel has devoted her art to the exploration of both the connection and disconnection to nature in our modern world. She also focuses heavily on the cycles of life through installations and scenes one may witness in our natural world. Growing up in suburbia, at a young age, Rachel witnessed the depletion of our natural world for “progress" to take place. Though her primary medium is paper in both two and three dimensions, she often combines many materials on one surface. Her work is included in both public and private collections.

Rachel is an assistant professor of sculpture at Houston Baptist University where she works with both undergraduate and graduate students. Her home and studio are located in the Houston Heights where she lives with her husband, daughter, and son.

Born: 1987 Texas City, Texas

Lives: Houston, Texas

Education

Currently: Assistant Professor of Visual Art/Sculpture, Houston Baptist University, Houston TX

2014 MFA Painting and Sculpture, HBU, Houston TX

2009 BFA Painting and Art Education, Nacogdoches TX

Solo Exhibitions Past/Future

2023, Faculty Duo Show, HBU Contemporary Gallery, Houston, TX

2022, True Heights North Public Sculpture, Public Sculpture “Night Hare”, Houston, TX

2021, Richmond Avenue Public Art Trail, Public Sculpture “Howl”, Houston,TX

2018, ”Awakening”,RedBud Gallery, Houston,TX

2018 “Fall To The Wild”, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Two Person Show, Houston, TX

2017 ‘ENCOUNTER’, Texas Art House, Johnston City, TX

2016 “PREY”, Galveston Art Center, Galveston,TX

2016 “REWILDING”, Kilgore College, Kilgore, TX

2015 "REWILDING", Gallery M Squared, Houston, TX

Selected Group Shows Past/Future

2023, Gift of The Bower: Honoring James Surls, Installation at Splendora Gardens, Splendora, TX

2022, Texas Emerging: Volume 3, Foltz Fine Art, Houston, TX

2022, 9/11 360 Group Show, Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX

2022, Summer Exhibit, ART MUSEUM TEXAS, Katy, TX

2022, Wild Light, Gift of The Bower, Orange Show, Houston, TX

2022, “Woman’s Spring Show”, ART MUSEUM TEXAS, Sugar Land, TX

2022, True Heights North Public Sculpture, Public Sculpture “Night Hare”, Houston, TX

2022, “Blue Norther”, SITE Gallery SILOS, Curated by Bradley Sumrall and John Alexander, Houston, TX

2022, HBU Faculty Survey Exhibit, UAC Contemporary Gallery at Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX

2021, Richmond Avenue Public Art Trail, Public Sculpture “Howl”, Houston,TX

2021, 9/11 360 Group Show, Biblical Museum, Dallas, TX

2021, Group Exhibition, ART MUSEUM TEXAS, Cinco Ranch, TX

2021 “The State of Sculpture”, San Angelo Museum Of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX

2021 Group Exhibition, ART MUSEUM TEXAS, Sugar Land, TX

2021 “On The Bayou” Texas Sculpture Group Exhibition, RedBud Gallery, Houston, TX

2020 “Tagebuch Covid-19 Daybook” International Exhibition, Mönchskirche Gallery, Salzwedel, Germany

2020 “From The Woods”, Collaboration with Chris Becker, Heights Iron Works, Houston, TX

2019 Monochrome, Site: Brooklyn Gallery, Juried by Donna Harkavy, Brooklyn, New York

2019 stARTup Art Fair, Hotel ICON, Houston, TX

2019, TOOTH AND CLAW, TERMINAL 136, Curated by Angelica Raquel Martinez, 136, Blue Star, San Antonio, Texas

2019, Luck Of The Draw, Diverse Works, Houston, TX

2019, Femme “A Celebration to Women”, Curated by Yvonamor Palix Fine Arts Gallery, HCC Southeast College, Houston, TX

2019 The Third Annual Flower Show, Splendora Gardens, Cleveland, TX

2018, SUPERFINE! DC Art Fair, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Washington, D.C.

2018, Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Houston, TX

2018 Déjà Vu, Presented by CH and Dandee, Houston TX

2018 HEAT WAVE, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Houston, TX

2018 The Texas Eclectics, Curators Gus Kopriva and Demetre P. Grivas ,Thessolonki, Greece

2018 The Second Annual Flower Show, Splendora Gardens, Cleveland, TX

2017 French Texan Dialogues, Houston, TX

2017 Texas Arts and Music Festival, Brenham, TX

2017 Art Aspen, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Aspen, Colorado

2017 Selected Retrospective Group Show, Curator Chris Highgam, Spring Street Studio, Houston, TX

2017 Austin City/Art Alliance Art Fair, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Austin, TX

2017 Austin City/Art Alliance Art Fair, Yvonamor Palix Fine Art, Austin, TX

2017 Art on Paper, Cindy Lisica Gallery, New York , New York

2017 WHITE CITY/WHITE WOLF, Curator Jim Edwards and Sheila Swift, HBU Contemporary Art Gallery, Houston, TX

2016-2017 SFA ALUMNI SHOW, Curator Gary Parker, Cole Art Center, Nacogdoches, TX

2016 “Home Sweet Home”, Curator Yvonamor Palix Fine Art, Houston,TX

2016 "Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls" , Curator Chris Highgam, Spring Street Studio, Houston,TX

2016 "Known and Underknown", Curator Sally Reynolds 1600 Smith Street, Houston, TX

2016 “What’s Left” Fotofest, French Consular Residence, Houston, TX

2015 “Under The Radar” Williams Tower, Curator Sally Sprout, Houston,TX

2015 “Texas Contemporary Art Fair” George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX

2015 “The Big Show” Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX

2015 “Group Show” Samara Gallery, Houston, TX

2015 “Kunsthaus Salzwedel”, American Diary #7, Salzwedel, Germany

2014 “Reflections on Nature”/Art Talk French Consular Residence/Cultural Center Fall-Winter Exhibit, Curated by YPFA, Houston, TX

2014 "Paper Cuts Deep", Juror Patrick Palmer ,Gallery M Squared, Houston, TX

2014"MFA Thesis Exhibition", Contemporary Arts Gallery, Houston Baptist University, Houston, Texas

2014 "Rising Eyes of Texas ", Juror Chris Davila, Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, Texas

2014 "Art Pause", French Consular Residence/Cultural Center, TX

2014 ALLEURS/elsewhere, French Consular Residence/Cultural Center, Houston,TX

2013 "END-OF-YEAR EXHIBITION", Yvonamor Fine Arts, The Old Fire Station, Houston, TX

2013 “American Diary”, Gallery 220, University Academic Center Houston Baptist University, Houston, Texas

2013 Archway Gallery, "Third Annual Juried Show", Juror Patrick Palmer, Houston, TX

2013 “American Diary IV”, Houston Baptist University, Gallery 220, Houston, TX

2013 "Amerikanisches Tagebuch V", Alten Münze, Salzwedel, Germany

2013 Rising Eyes of Texas, Juried by Dennis Nance, Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, TX

2012 "Selected Works", Norwood Flynn Gallery, Dallas, TX

2009 BFA Senior Show - Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX

2008 Two Person Show "Express Yourself" ,School of Art Gallery, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX

Awards

2021 Public Art True North Heights Grant, Houston, TX

2019 Public Art Richmond Ave. Grant, Houston, TX

2018 Solo Mixed Media Workshop, Atelierhaus Hilmsen Residency, Germany

2015 Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX

2015 Visiting Artist at Molzberger Academy of Fine Arts, Hilmsen, Germany

2014 Rising Eyes of Texas, Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, TX

2013 Rising Eyes of Texas, Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, TX

2013 MFA Grant, Houston Baptist University

2013 Artist Residency, Hilmsen, Germany

2012 MFA Grant, Houston Baptist University

Publications

2022 Texas Highways, The True North Public Sculpture Project Spotlights Emerging and Established Texas Artists

2022 Heights Pages Magazine, True North Artist Feature, Houston, TX

2022 Art Houston Magazine, Feature for Art Museum TX and True North Heights, Houston, TX

2022 PaperCity, Wild Light, Gift of The Bower

2022 Glasstire Top 5, Blue Norther, Silos, Houston, TX

2022 Houston CityBook, Heights Boulevard Will Undergo Fanciful Artistic Makeover, Featured Artist for “Night Hare”, Houston, TX

2021 Houston Chronical/ Examiner, ‘GOOD FOR THE SOUL”: Public art brightens portions of Richmond Avenue, Houston, TX

2021 The State of Sculpture, 10th Anniversary Texas Sculpture Group Publication

2019 Houston City Book, A Day in The Life of The Arts - Featured Artist, Houston, TX

2019 ARTFORUM, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Featured Artist

2018 Houston City Book, Statement Pieces with Selected Houston Artists, Houston, TX

2017 Arts Hound, Goodbye, Farwell, Amen, Feature Photo (“Carry You”) Houston, TX

2017 Bruce’s World Art Blog, Feature for Art on Paper, Artist Rachel Gardner, New York, New York

2016 Visual Art Source, “PREY”, Galveston Art Center, Review by Donna Tennant

2016 Culture Map Houston, “PREY”, Galveston Art Center

2016 ARTS+CULTURE, “PREY”, Rachel Gardner, Galveston Art Center, November Edition

2016 The Flare, Q & A Rachel Gardner “REWILDING”, Anne Dean Turk Fine Arts Center, Kilgore College, Kilgore, TX, Meaghan Morton

2015 Lawndale Art Center, StudioVisit (Big Show 2015): John Forse, Rachel Gardner, Iva Kinnaird, and Leslie Magdeleno

2015 Volksstimme, Ausstellung im Salzwedeler Kunsthaus, Salzwedel, Germany

2015 Houston Press, WOLF PACK IVADES HISTORIC HEIGHTS THEATER; BALANCE IS RESTORED, Susie Tommaney

2015 The Leader, New Heights art exhibit captures nature through wolf sculptures, Kim Hogstrom

2014 Wolf Warriors: The National Wolfwatcher Coalition Anthology, artist feature, Thurston Howl Publication

2014 Sawdust Magazine, artist feature and interview, Rachel O Clark

2013 Volksstimme, Jeetze-Kurier Salzwedel, June 18th, Salzwedel, Germany

2013 Volksstimme, Jeetze-Kurier Salzwedel, June 14th, Salzwedel, Germany

2013 Volksstimme, Jeetze-Kurier Salzwedel, May 30th, Salzwedel, Germany

Public Art

2022, True Heights North Public Sculpture, Public Sculpture “Night Hare”, Houston, TX

2021 “Howl”, Richmond Ave., Houston, TX

Private & Permanent Collections:

Permanent Installation Atelierhaus Hilmsen Artist Residency, Germany

1401 Elm Business Building, Dallas, TX

Lester Marks Collection

Michael and Gayle Collins

Jim and Victoria Edwards

Gus and Sharon Kopriva

Terry and Linda Swift

Ray Hylenski and Barbara Faber

Dee Kreft

Kelcey Edwards and Ben Segal

Jane and Kyle Amschwand

Rachel Gardner

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