Rachel Kopel’s work will show during the first day of Arts Walk (April 24 5-10:00 pm) and will continue to be shown throughout the run of Where the Summit Meets the Stars. An Artist Reception to welcome Rachel Kopel to Harlequin will take place on Thursday, April 30 from 5:30 – 6:30 pm in the State Theater Lobby. All are welcome! Light refreshments will be served.
About the Artist
Kopel is a Seattle native with an education in Graphic Design and Book Arts (BFA, University of the Arts 2006) as well as in Library and Information Science (MLIS University of Washington 2016). When not working as an archivist she can be found in her studio experimenting with whatever seed pods she grew in the garden that year and all the multicolored dryer lint she has accumulated.
Artist Statement
As an artist and archivist I strive to give presence and form to memories and to gain new understanding through the transformative act of art making. My work is informed by my multi-cultural heritage, the grief and resilience of my ancestors and the desire to heal intergenerational trauma.
My pieces manipulate and make use of my personal collections, gathered over a lifetime of observing nature and extracting beautiful objects from the waste stream of material culture. In my hands these materials gather new meaning through their combinations and arrangements.
My techniques include: hand sewing, embroidery, book arts, weaving, poetry and illustration. Each piece develops organically, often incorporating the results of earlier experimental investigation. I seek to evoke the spiral nature of healing and the feeling of a safe, cozy burrow where the soul can find solace and be cocooned while gathering the strength for transformation.
