Rachel Owens

Rachel Owens is an Associate Professor of Sculpture at Purchase College's School of Art+Design. She holds a BA from the University of Kansas and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work intertwines environmental crises, socio-political themes, and community engagement through large-scale installations and mixed-media sculptures.

Central to her practice is transforming reclaimed materials into critical commentaries on climate change, war, and systemic inequities. Notable projects include Inveterate Composition for Clare (2011), a repurposed military sculpture addressing ecological distress, and Groundswell (2007), a landfill-inspired fountain critiquing environmental neglect. Her 2022 exhibition The Hypogean Tip explores racial history through layered landscapes in Bridgeport, CT.

Her collaborations include community workshops in Ekaterinburg (2016) using Augusto Boal's theater techniques to deconstruct power dynamics. Owens frequently addresses post-disaster recovery, as seen in her Soft Edges series (2013) responding to Hurricane Sandy's impact on Red Hook, Brooklyn. Her works have been featured at institutions like Socrates Sculpture Park and the New Museum.

While no formal awards are listed, her projects consistently receive critical acclaim for innovative material use and social relevance. Grants include the Socrates Sculpture Park Emerging Artist Fellowship (2007). Her curatorial work, such as As of Right (2020), examines spatial justice through interdisciplinary collaborations.