Rachel Murray Meyer

About Rachel Murray Meyer

Rachel Murray Meyer is a photo based San Francisco artist.

CV

EXHIBITIONS

2017  Our Summer of Love and Resistance, Avenue 12 Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“FLORA & FAUNA” National Juried Exhibition, ARC Gallery and Studios, San Francisco, CA

2007 “Sun Pictures to Mega Pixels : Archaic Process & Digital Process Photography,” September 2007 Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, New York
“Selections,” Juried exhibition of works by artists from San Francisco Open Studios

2003 California Palace of the Legion of Honor, “Exploring the life and work of Camille Claudel,” Artist Demonstration, February

2002 Falkirk Cultural Center, “Shimmering Shadows,” part of “Evocations,” San Rafael, CA, September
Di Rosa Art and Nature Preserve, Napa, CA. Three pieces in the permanent collection two were on display for several years.

2001 “This is The Moment You Are Waiting For,” Site specific window installation, San Francisco Art Commission, 155 Grove Street, February/March 2001.

2000 “Mothlight: Artist’s Explore illumination,” Exploratorium- the museum of science, art and human perception, December

1996 “No Time Like the Present,” Site specific installation, San Francisco Art Commission, S.F., 1996. (Video Available)
“Shadow Play,” Group show, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA,
“Moveable feast,” S.F. Camerawork’s inaugural exhibition, S.F. Camerawork, S.F., CA (Video Available)
“Integrated Hemispheres: Women, Art and Technology,” Blasthaus, S.F., CA

1995 “Re-Framing Exposure,” curated by Elizabeth Block /Catharine Clark, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
“Photography and Sculpture,” curated by David Pace, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA

1994 “Duly Observe Rules,” Fringe Gallery, Hong Kong ROC

1993 “The Shooting Gallery,” Benefit by The Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies (LACPS).Los Angeles, CA

1992 LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibits) Benefit art sale, Los Angeles, CA
“Photo Salon: A selection of new photographic talent in Los Angeles,” Turner/Krull Gallery , Los Angeles, 1991.
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” The Gallery at 817, Los Angeles, 1991.

1991 “The Safer Than Sex Show,” group show curated by Rafael Serrano, The Bladerunning Gallery, Los Angeles CA
“Images and Origins II, Reflections of Women Photographers,” The Commission on the Status of Women and the Cultural Affairs Department, Los Angeles, CA

HONORS AND AWARDS

2001 Art For America Benefit, Second Place

1999 to 2001 Marin Headlands Center for the Arts, Affiliate Artist

PUBLICATIONS

“The Art of Enhanced Photography: Extending the Photographic Image,” James Luciano and Judith Watts, Rockport Publishers, NY, 1999.

“Leonardo,” Journal of the International Society for the Arts, Science and Technology, MIT Press Vol.30, No.1 1997.

EXPERIENCE

Engineering and senior management positions within the toy and electronic industries 1984 to present. Responsibilities included manufacturability, quality, safety, human rights and environmental issues, with extensive travel to Mexico, Hong Kong and China.

EDUCATION

M.S., University of Massachusetts, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, MA . May 1984.
Elected to both Engineering and Industrial Engineering honor societies.

B.A., Smith College, Mathematics. Northampton, MA. May,1982.
Extensive coursework in Studio Arts and Photography.

Statement

My art has its basis in still photography and my interest in the illuminated image has led me to experiment with a variety of light sources, extending my exploration of light and shadow beyond the camera and the darkroom into three dimensional constructions and digital processes.
Shadows play a central role in my work. Shadows are illusory and yet, by their very presence, they indicate that something real is present. The same paradox has often been said of a photograph, which captures a moment in time and leads us to believe that we have seen something that actually exists.

After using a large format film camera for many years, my use of digital processes to create original images started with scanning objects. My botanical studies consider early scientific methods where observation was a way of inquiry and cataloging was done in order to understand and, hopefully, to appreciate, the beauty and uniqueness around us. There are irresistible objects that glow with the light of the scanning bed, such as the clear “Glass Slipper” series. There is somehow an expression of power and confidence that belies the title of that series. Using transparencies of my images and sometimes old engravings I have collected, I often float layered images over metallic painted paper to create the “Shimmering Shadow” series.

My most recent work records dialogue between constructions that incorporate found pieces such as old hard drives and vintage figurines and photographs that are recombined into my moving light sculptures- rhythmically cycling through a moment, a lifetime, or even an era. And still, I find that I am compelled to start again, and photograph these sculptures and elements within them in order to understand what makes them so provocative to me.

My light sculptures have fascinated me for some time. The cycling of the rotating light creating moving cast shadows that are abstract and figurative. These have been described as both meditative and cinematic. They are like flickering films that show an animated series of moments to tell a story that while highly personal is also reflective of our shared humanity.