RACHEL OLESON
EDUCATION
B.F.A.
Sculpture/Art History minor, cum laude
Boston University
2003
RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2021
Art & Design Consultant
Partner with commercial art industry leaders to procure art, find innovative solutions for presentation, source cost-effective materials, and streamline product fulfillment, delivery, and installation.
2018-2021
Manager, Commercial Division – Art Heads Custom Art & Framing, Sherwood, OR
Sourced art for design firms, architect firms, and project managers in the areas of hospitality, healthcare, senior living communities, office, mixed use, and residential; Printed large format art on paper and canvas; Cut and joined frames; Stretched art on canvas; installed pieces in a variety of settings
2016-2018
Art Consultant/Designer/Framer/Art Installer, Commercial Division – Art Heads Custom Art & Framing, Sherwood, OR Sourced art and designed commercial spaces; Printed large format art on paper and canvas; Cut and joined frames; Stretched art on canvas; installed pieces in a variety of settings
2006-2008
Co-Manager/Art and Design Consultant – Northwest Framing Commercial Division and Fine Art Showroom, Portland, OR
Sourced art and partnered with lead project managers in space planning and development throughout the greater Portland and Seattle areas; extensively researched residential and commercial needs for art; wrote strategic business plans and client proposals; Facilitated design process from concept to installation
2002-2003
Gallery Assistant – Hyperbole Gallery, Newburyport, MA
Installed and broke down exhibitions, monitored gallery, and worked with gallery director and artists in creative decision-making
2000-2001
Gallery Assistant – Boston University Sherman Gallery, Boston, MA
1998-1999
Private Art Instructor, Amesbury, MA
Taught Drawing and Painting to children and adults
1998-2001
Assistant Manager – Art Central, Newburyport, MA
Cut mattes and glass, assembled frames, and assisted customers in art supply facility
1997-1998
Art Camp Counselor, Amesbury, MA
Worked with a diverse group of 7-14 year olds fostering creativity and team-building through drawing, painting, sculpture, batik, and printmaking
2000-2001
Teaching Assistant – Boston University Children’s Center, Boston, MA
Facilitated art, music, drama, recreational, and trust-building activities
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2015: Regional Arts & Culture Council Public Art Murals Program grant – Portland Mercado mural
2011: Regional Arts & Culture Council Public Art Murals Program grant – Pambiche mural
1999-2003: Boston University Grant
1999: Rhode Island School of Design High School Art Excellence Award
1999: Gould Art Scholarship
1999: ‘Yes We Can’ Academic/Athletic Scholarship
EXHIBITION RECORD
2012: Tram 5 Year Anniversary Open House exhibit, OHSU Center for Health and Healing, Portland, OR
2011: Tram Series Solo Exhibition, Oregon Health & Sciences University Student Center, Portland, OR
2009: 20 Something Exhibition, Traveler’s Café, Las Vegas, NM
2003: Boston University B.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, Commonwealth Gallery, Boston, MA
2000-2002: Boston University Undergraduate Exhibition, 808 Gallery, Boston, MA
2001: New England Painters and Sculptors Group Exhibition, Hyperbole Gallery, Newburyport, MA
2000: Family Exhibition, Selectman’s Gallery, Barnstable, MA
EXHIBITIONS JURIED
2009: Inside Adobe Walls First Annual Juried Art Exhibition, The Inn on the Santa Fe Trail, Las Vegas, NM
COMMISSIONS
Portland Mercado, Portland, OR 2015
Exterior mural illustrating the cultural exchange at a Latin American marketplace
Luchadores, Uno Mas Taquiza, Portland, OR 2015
(2) 2ft. x 4ft. wood panels illustrating male and female Mexican wrestlers
Horse Cult band logo, Portland, OR 2015
Agave, Mextiza, Portland, OR 2012
Painted interior mural (10ft. x 6ft.) illustrating the first stages of the tequila-making process
Cuba, Pambiche, Portland, OR 2011
Painted exterior mural (50ft. x 35ft.) illustrating Cuban culture in collaboration with artist Emily Beeks; Executed piece from research to grant application, to fundraising, to design, to finished painting
Heal Thyself Therapeutic Massage logo design, Portland, OR 2010
Hand-drawn image of snakes winding around caduceus
Mexico Tradicional, Autentica, Portland, OR 2009
Painted exterior mural (28ft. x 12ft.) illustrating traditional Mexican culture; researched common traditions and activities of daily life specific to the Oaxacan region
Dejavu Café, logo and signage (4ft. x 8ft.), Las Vegas, NM 2009
Painted sign based on expressive sculpture; design used for marketing, billboard, menus, and merchandise
Art as Light Photonics Project in partnership with Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, Photonics Center, and College of Engineering, Boston, MA, 2002
Designed site-specific installation with resin-cast fireflies activated by motion sensors; this piece illustrated the central mission of the Photonics Center in the field of light communication
Victory is Sweet, Amesbury High School, Amesbury, MA 1998
Painted impermanent mural (30ft. x 10ft.) for annual sports rally
Center Stage, mural for Amesbury Elementary School, Amesbury, MA 1998
Painted mural (10ft. x 12ft.) that highlighted student performance in central Music Department classroom
First Night, Newburyport, MA, 1995
Designed logo for official button, contributed to float-building in celebration of art and community
Four Seasons, Barnard School, South Hampton, NH, 1994
Collaborative student 4-panel art piece illustrating the seasons installed in the school lobby
Rainforest, South Hampton, NH, 1993
Painted interior mural (50ft. x 8ft.) at private residence with 7-14yr. old art camp students illustrating various animals found in the rainforest
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Taquiza, Uno Mas, Portland, OR 2015
Interior mural (12ft. x 8ft.) illustrating customers lined up at a traditional Mexican taco cart
Mariposas, Autentica, Portland, OR – Spring 2016
Exterior mural (15ft. x 12ft.) for outdoor patio to illustrate monarch butterfly migration path from Mexico to U.S.
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Listener, World Pulse, Portland, OR, 2014
Read and commented upon written stories submitted by women from all over the world, as part of the online community’s Digital Action Campaign, an effort to help grassroots women leaders share their voices to create social change
Mural Leader, Explorando, Columbia Slough Watershed-hosted community mural project, Portland, OR 2012
Worked in collaboration with local artists in creating stencils and assisting young children with painting
Front Desk Attendant, Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, OR, 2009-2010
Assisted visitors in exhibition spaces; helped promote public access and response to the changing landscape of craft
Mother Tree Project as part of The Portland Building’s Installation Space Program with Portland Regional Arts and Culture Council, Helen Hiebert Studio, Portland, OR, 2010
Participated in Community Crochet Night, a local effort to assemble strands from all over the world to create a sculpture that will travel to various spaces and audiences in our community
Home Access Wheelchair Ramp Program with United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee, Nashville, TN, 2002
Constructed ramps for people with physical disabilities living in rural areas, giving them access to their communities, transportation, and employment
Habitat for Humanity, Alexandria, LA, 2001
Built energy-efficient, sustainable structures for low-income families
First Year Student Outreach Program, Boston, MA, 1999
Addressed environmental issues by working to restore and preserve public spaces in the greater Boston area
Newburyport Art Association, Newburyport , MA, 1998
Assisted staff in organizing artwork submitted for regional juried shows
SKILLS
Arc and MIG welding; woodcarving; stone carving; rubber mold-making; resin casting; hand-forging steel; chicken wire, wood, and rebar armature building; plaster mold casting; clay work; familiarity with power tools; construction; photograph development; linocut, silkscreen, woodcut, and lithography