Rachel Lebo

Painter and sculptor Rachel Lebo wants to coax you into her fantasy world - and we will do little but oblige.

Lebo’s work has the unique ability to shuttle you into the discomfort of ambiguity. Her paintings and installations run the gamut of emotions as she transports us into a parallel universe of fiction that may be more honest than reality.

Each series explores a new story. Individual paintings become short vignettes - a cerebral dart - piercing Lebo’s larger constructed narrative.

Lebo presents us with a cast of characters. Operating with a sense of agency in this vivid, visceral world, both figures and inanimate objects assume equal ownership over their role.

Working primarily with oil paints, Lebo employs classical techniques to elevate her subjects. Socks are given a newfound preciousness - as are the gloves, the feather boas, and the women who wear them.

ARTIST BIO

Rachel Lebo grew up on the east coast in Baltimore County, Maryland. She currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri, working across media in painting, sculpture, and story-telling. She likes to step into other characters in order to explore ideas and herself.

In 2019, Rachel received her MFA in visual arts from Washington University in St. Louis. She is the recipient of The Ernestine Betsberg and Arthur Osver Scholarship, a Dubinsky Scholarship to study at the Fine Arts Work Center, The Graduate School Production Grant, and The Graduate Student Travel Grant. She has been featured in All the Art magazine, and has shown in Richmond, Baltimore, and around the St. Louis area. 

Rachel currently enjoys teaching at Maryville University and St. Charles Community College and works as a wedding DJ on the weekends.

Education

2019: MFA in Visual Arts. Sam Fox School, Washington University, St. Louis, MO BA in Studio Art and Graphic Design

2016: University of Maryland. College Park. MD

Grants Awards

2020: Regional Arts Commission, Artist Relief Fund Support Grant, St. Louis, MO

2019: Dubinsky Scholarship to study at the Fine Arts Work Center. Provincetown, MA

2019: Travel Grant, Sam Fox School, Washington University. St. Louis, MO

2018: Production Grant, Sam Fox School, Washington University, St. Louis, MO

2017: Ernestine Betsberg and Arthur Over Scholarship, Washington University, St. Louis, MO

2017: Summer Studio Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

2016: Summer Studio Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

2015: Student Award, Black Rock Center for the Arts University of Maryland Honors Program, College Park, MD

Solo Exhibitions

2023: Forthcoming: Solo Show at Lambert Airport

2022: I am Rachel, But let's be Emily, Foundry Art Center. St. Charles, MO

2021: A Bull called Flamingo, GCADD Insurance Gallery, Granite City, IL

2020: Red Herring, Monaco, St. Louis, MO

2020: I am Rachel, But let's be Cheryl, Angad Arts Hotel, St. Louis, MO

2018: window wall, Window Gallery at the Lewis Center. St. Louis. MO

2017:  Hipped, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

Group Exhibitions

2021: Long View. Lambert Airport Show, St. Louis, MO

2021:Terrain Biennial, Springfield, IL

2020: Winter Show, Houska, St. Louis, MO

2020: Summer Show, Houska, St. Louis, MO

2020: Cunst Gallery, St. Louis, MO

2019: Royale, Monaco, St. Louis, MO

2019: The Search, Curated by Edo Rosenblith as a part of his Creative Stimulus Award 

2019: Interiors, St. Louis Community College, St. Charles, MO 

2019: MFA Thesis Exhibition, The Luminary Arts, St. Louis, MO