Shoulders of GIANTS

Rachel Wilkins Honors the Past and Blazes a Trail for the Future

Creativity is not only the ability to conceive of a new goal but a unique path to get there. For artist Rachel Wilkins whose “Shoulders of Giants” was recently exhibited at the Chase Edwards Gallery in Bridgehampton to celebrate Pride month, waiting for a gate keeper to grant her entry to an art career was not an option. At age 26 she arrived in New York City from the UK and through intuition she forged not only her unique artistic vision but also established a hip exhibition space to attract an audience for her and other’s work. Her artistic crusade earned her a “Woman of Influence Award” from the New York Business Journal in 2016.

“I came into the creative space thinking the only way to be successful as an artist was to get a gallery,” recounts Wilkins, “In fact my career trajectory has been without institutions or galleries. We have a job as creatives to pass on the message that you can have your own version of success and not just what society tells you that should look like.”

Working as a bartender she found herself among other artists in a hub of creative energy. “My mom used to call me the Peter Pan of children,” says Wilkins with a laugh, “I grew up an only child and would disappear and come back with a line of kids. I’m a gatherer, and I like to bring people together. I created an underground art show in Tribeca and invited artists and musicians and dancers and fashion designers. I recognized there was an audience for that way of presenting art.”

Wilkins always felt more confident with non-conventional materials, “When I was doing abstracts, I would use cutlery or pieces of cardboard or sand or concrete, whatever would give me texture.” Plus, she would use a $12 piece of wood from Home Depot versus a $100 canvas. 

For her “Shoulders of Giants” series which feature trail blazers of the LGBTQ movement, she used industrial materials such as household paint and masking tape, layering mixed-media iconography atop the abstract work to acknowledge sung and unsung heroes such as Billy Jean King, Audre Lord and Cecilia Gentili.

The inspiration originally came from gay rights pioneer Edie Windsor. Ten years ago, Wilkins fell in love and married attorney Jennifer Blum. While legal in New York their marriage was not recognized federally which created an immigration problem for her. In Windsor’s Supreme Court case (where Wilkins and Blum actually got to see some of the oral arguments and RBG in person!) the law changed to recognize gay marriage at the federal level. The first of the series of collage portraits was one of Windsor which was purchased by Edie’s widow Judith Kasen-Windsor, bringing it full circle. 

“I wanted to know more about the LGBTQ movement and who paved the way for me,” says Wilkins, “So I decided for the June month of Pride I would create a piece on a different person every day. We only have a 1,500 square foot apartment so there was paper everywhere and paint on the floor – even the cat went through the paint.” Wilkins donated 50% of the profits to a national LGBTQ task force doing important work.

Wilkins’ positive attitude and energy is contagious, and it is easy to see how anyone would want to follow her. She has transformed Neverland into Never-say-never-land. Her generous spirit leads her to be a mentor to up and coming artists in both private and group settings. She founded Conception Arts, an organization that has helped over 8,000 artists exhibit and sell their own work internationally and serves as a mentor for the New York City’s New Museum incubator program New Inc. She also hosts the Smart Art Business podcast and brings home her theory, “As a creative or artist you aren’t limited by just one pathway to success.

www.rachel-wilkins.com