Curriculae Vitae

 

Aviva Rahmani is an ecological artist who works with scientists to design solutions for degraded environments. She began her career as a performance artist in the late sixties, and currently is an Affiliate at the Institute for Arctic and Alpine research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB) and a researcher with the Zurich-Node group of the University of Plymouth, United Kingdom. Best known for her seminal work, Ghost Nets 1990-2000 (www.ghostnets.com), Rahmani received an Arts and Healing Network 2009 award for her work on water. Her current new media project on the impact of extractive industries and climate change, Gulf to Gulf (2009- present), is a collaboration with scientists, fiscally sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts. Previous ecological art projects have resulted in the restoration of a former dump site to a flourishing wetland system (Ghost Nets) and helped catalyze a USDA expenditure of $500,000 to restore 26 acres of critical wetlands habitat (the Blue Rocks project) in the Gulf of Maine. In 2009, she began presenting performance workshops on her theoretical approach to environmental restoration, "Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism." The first event was in 2009, at the Survival Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of her participation as a formal observer for UCB at the United Nations IPCC conference on climate change.

Education       

PhD Candidate, expected completion 2013, Z-Node Program, Institute for Cultural Studies, Zurich University of the Arts, (ZHDK) Zürich, Switzerland and the School of Technology, Communication and Electronics at the University of Plymouth, UK. Dissertation Topic: “Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism”

GIS Certificate Candidate, expected completion 2011, Environmental Modeling, Lehman College, Bronx, NY

MFA Multi-media and Electronic Music, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA, 1972-1974

BFA Multi-media and Electronic Music, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA, 1971-1972 

The Cooper Union School of Art & Architecture, New York City, NY, 1964-1967           

Affiliations

Research Affiliate with the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), at the University of Colorado at Boulder, CO, 2010 – present

Researcher, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom

 

Teaching Experience

2003-present     Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, VT, Artist/ Mentor, graduate mentoring

1988                 Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, NY, Teaching performance studies “New York's Museums and Artists' Studios,” Art Department, New School for Social Research 

1982-1985         San Diego Community College, San Diego, CA Teaching “Figurative Painting,”

1979-1986         University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA Teaching, Art Department,

1972-1973         California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA, Teaching Assistant with Scholarship to Allan Kaprow     

Residencies

Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism, Santa Fe Institute of Art, Santa Fe, NM, 2012

Virtual Cities and Oceans of If, Simultaneous presentation at Nature Arts BiennaleCurator: Anke Mellin Geumgang, Korea,  Khoj International New Delhi, India, and Pescia, Italy, 2006                 

Cities & Oceans of If, Rosemont College, Philadelphia, PA, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, University of Washington at Bothell, Bothell, WA, 2001- 2005

Visiting Artist Lectures and Panels

Society for Ecological Restoration International Conference, Merida, Mexico, “The Art of Ecology: Transdisciplinary in Practice” Panel participant, 2011

Conference: Ecological Novelty "Understanding and Managing Ecological Novelty - Towards an Integrative  Framework of the Socio-Ecological Risks of Novel Organisms”, “Trigger Points and Ecosystem Change” Panel Leader and  “Performing Ecology” Workshop, Monte Veritas Switzerland Sep 5th, 2011

Parsons New School for Design, NYC, U-n-f-o-l-d: A Cultural Response to Climate Change, "What Ifs: Climate   Change and Creative Agency", panel moderated by Eve Mosher, October 12, 2011

Brown University, "A Better World by Design" conference, panel participant, September 30-October 2nd, 2011. 

International Society for Electronic Art (ISEA) 2010 RUHR Conference, “Leonardo Education and Art Forum (LEAF) at ISEA” Workshop, Dortmund, Germany, 2010

College Art Association Annual Conference, “Proof” Panel Speaker, Los Angeles,California, 2009

Lesley University, Boston, MA, “Blaze; Continued Dialog with Feminist Artists and Writers” 2009

School of Visual Arts, NYC, “Artists Who Make a Difference,” Guest Lecture, 2008

Cooper Union School of Art and Architecture, Guest Lecture, Ecological Art class taught by Lillian Ball, 2008.

Ecological Art, C.W. Post, Long Island, NY 2008

Ithaca Center for Environmental Sustainability: with the U.S., “Greening the Earth”, 2008

Partnership for the U.N. Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UN/DESD) and Ithaca-based Level Green Institute, Ithaca, NY 2008

Deutsche Bank Art Gallery, “Feeling the Heat” NYC, 2008

Waterfall Arts, Kingdom Falls, Belfast, ME, 2008   

Rutgers University, “F-word Symposium” Art History Department,   New Brunswick, NJ, 2007

New England Workshop for Science and Social Change, “Trigger Points and Global Warming,” Woods Hole Institute of Oceanography, Woods Hole, MA, 2006

Wesleyan University, Middleton, CN, “Cities and Oceans of If”, 2004

Awards and Affiliations

Research Affiliate with the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), at the University of Colorado at Boulder, CO, 2010 - present

New York Foundation for the Arts Fiscal Sponsorship, 2009                   

Recipient of Arts and Healing Network Award, 2009

Recipient of the Nancy H. Gray Foundation for Art in the Environment, 2000                   

Recipient of the Nancy H. Gray Foundation for Art in the Environment, 1999                   

T. A. and Scholarship to work with Allan Kaprow, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA, 1972-1974

Selected Solo Exhibitions

Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism, CUNY New York, NY, 2011

Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism, Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, Exeter, UK, 2011

Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism, University College Falmouth, Cornwall, UK 2011

Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism, Gaskell Building, School of Arts, Brunel University, Middlesex, UK, 2011

eartotheearth festival, Desecration/ Resurrection film shown, Curated by Suzanne Thorpe and Joel Chadabe, Gallery 307, Electronic Music Foundation, New York, NY, 2010

Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism, Survival Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2009

Gulf to Gulf, Virtual Concerts II, performance paintings, Internet, 2009-present

Gulf to Gulf, Virtual Concerts, Talkshoe Internet, 2006-2010                  

Ghost Nets Project, If, Curated by Bruce Brown, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockport, ME, 2000         

Ghost Nets, Environmental Restoration/ Performance Installation of wetland site that functioned as the island’s former dump site, Vinalhaven, ME, 1991-2000

Echoes of the Islands, Public Art Landscape Sculptures, Vinalhaven Island Ferry Terminal, for the Maine Department of Transportation, Vinalhaven Island, ME, 1999                  

REQUIEM, Curated by Tom Kocheiser, Gallery 210, University of Missouri at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 1990

REQUIEM, Curated by David Beck Brown, Grossmont College Art Gallery, San Diego, CA, 1989                       

The Outsider in New York City, Todd’s Space, New York City, NY, 1989                                                         

Seiche Torque: Medicine Wheel Murals, Sushi Gallery, San Diego, CA, 1985   

The Medicine Wheel Murals, Woman’s Building, Los Angeles, CA, 1985          

Floating Worlds: Ghost Dreams, Art Gallery, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 1983

Floating Worlds Revisited, performance/installation, Woodland Pattern Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Film in the Cities Gallery, St. Paul, MI, 1983

Floating Worlds Part 3, performance/installation, Rachel Rosenthal’s Espace DBD, Los Angeles, CA, 1983

Floating Worlds Part 2, performance/installation, Sushi Gallery, San Diego, CA, 1983

Floating Worlds Part 1, performance/installation, Center for Music Experiment, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 1983

New Paintings, Art Gallery, United States International University, San Diego, CA, 1983

Floating Worlds: Child Birth, performance/installation, White Columns Gallery, New York City, NY, 1982         

Figures and Other Images, Penthouse Gallery, Village Hotel, La Jolla, CA, 1979

Stay, Wait, Look, Listen, My Symphony, performance/installation, Gallery 707, Woman’s Building, Los Angeles, CA, 1974  

The American Ritual Theatre (touring performance company) director and founder, Art Gallery, University of CA, Diego at La Jolla, CA and San Diego State College, San Diego, CA, 1968-1973  

Selected Group Exhibitions

Horizon Lines Curated by Amy Lipton, ecoartspace New York, NY, 2011

Beyond the Horizon, Curated by Amy Lipton, Deutsche Bank, New York, NY, 2011

Water Aid, Curated by Alice Zinnes, New York, NY, 2011

Oil Spill: Information Gulf, Curated by Katie Avery, Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe,New Mexico, 2011

One of A Kind, an exhibition of unique artist's books, Curated by Heidi Hatry, Pierre Menard Gallery, Cambridge, MA, 2011

New Perspectives on Urban Ecology, Curated by Alex Tolman Max-Born-Saa, Berlin, Germany, 2010

SHFT, Curated by Edie Kahula Pereira, 133 Greene Street, New York, NY, 2010

WEAD, Curated by Susan Steinman, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA, 2010

Blue Sea Lavender for Site Specific Curated by Pat Nick, Vinalhaven Island, ME 2009

Still Waters, Curated by Lisa Alembik, Dalton Gallery, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA, 2009

Feeling the Heat, Curated Liz Christensen, Deutsche Bank Art Gallery, New York City, NY, 2009

In Transition Russia 2008, Curated by Sheila Pinkel, The Independent Museum of Contemporary Art (IMCA), Cyprus and NeMe in collaboration with the National Centres of Contemporary Art (NCCA), Ekaterinburg and Moscow, Russian Federation, 2009

The Cultura21 Group at the Joseph Beuys 100 days of Conference Pavilion, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy,  2007

Called to Action, Curated by Lillian Ball, Art Sites, Riverhead, NY, 2007

Bios4, Curated by Antonio Pinto, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo, Seville, Spain, 2007

Weather Report, Curated by Lucy Lippard, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO, 2007

The Drop Curated by Jodi Hanel, Exit Art, New York City, NY, 2006

Groundworks, Curated by Grant Kestor, Regina Miller Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, PA, 2006  

Visions about Nature, Curated by Anke Mellin, Korean Nature Artists Association-Yatoo, Chungnam, South Korea, 2005            

Imaging the River, Curated by Amy Lipton, Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY, 2003-2004                 

Site Specific, Curated by Pat Nick, Pleasant River Causeway, Vinalhaven Island, ME, 2002

Ecovention, Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2000                  

Rock Rescue, The Art Center at Kingdom Falls, Belfast, ME, 2000

LA Woman, curated by Barbara T. Smith, The Brewery, Los Angeles, CA, 2000

First International Art and Ecology, invitational workshop and installation, Society for Ecological Restoration, British Park, Jerusalem, Israel

Shaped Structures: Bookworks in FORM, curated by Judith Hoffberg, Beckstrand Gallery, Palos Verdes ArtCenter, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, 1993

Sexual Harassment: A Dialogue, Triplex Gallery, City University of New York, New York City, NY, 1992

Visions of Life, Chuck Levitan Gallery, New York City, NY, 1990

Mythic Moderns, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT, 1990

The Revolutionary in Art, Castillo Center, New York City, NY, 1990

Undercover, Fresno Art Center, Fresno, CA, 1990

Connexus, Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art, New York City, NY, 1990

Family Album, Womans Building, Los Angeles, CA, 1990

Violations, Moonmade Space, New York City, NY, 1990

Oppressions/Expressions, curated by Leon Golub, Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans, LA, 1990

Nine San Diego Artists, San Diego Arts Center, San Diego, CA, 1990

16X26 Landscapes, Quint Gallery, San Diego, CA, 1990

East/West Rochester, Pyramid Arts Center, Rochester, NY, 1990

California Bookworks, Otis/Parsons Exhibition Center, Los Angeles, CA, 1990

From History to Action, curated by Lucy Lippard, Womans Building, Los Angeles, CA, 1990

A Decade of Woman’s Performance Art, Mandeville Art Gallery, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 1982           

Christmas Invitational, A.I.R. Gallery, New York City, NY, 1981                     

A Decade of Women’s Performance Art, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA, 1980               

Approaches to Xerography, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1979            

Book as Art III, Fendrick Gallery, Washington, District of Columbia, 1979                       

Artwords/Bookworks, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia; Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; Franklin Furnace, New York City, NY, 1978-1979  

Copy Art Exhibit, SoHo Hansen Gallery, New York City, NY, 1978                   

Perfumed Milk, Three Womanspace Performances, Woman’s Building, Culver City, CA, 1973                

Meat Piece Film, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA, 1973      

Ablutions, with Judy Chicago, Suzanne Lacy and Sandi Orgel, Venice, CA, 1972             

Performance, Time & Space, with John White (touring company), Lone Mountain College, San Francisco, CA and Pomona College, Claremont, CA 1971 

Selected Bibliography

Keim, Brandon. "Disturbing or Beautiful? Artists Evaluate Man's Impact on Nature" Weird Science August 10, 2011 http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/beyond-the-horizon/

Kagan, Sacha. Art and Sustainability: Connecting Patterns for a Culture of Complexity. Bielefeld, Germany: Transcript Verlag, 2011.

Garret, Ian. “Desecration/ Resurrection New Video Work by Aviva Rahmani” CSPA Quarterly Summer 2010: 28, 2010.

Ernest, Dagney. “Rahmani opens, premiers in New York” The Herald Gazette. October 23, 2010.

Billard, Mary. “Saving the World. Smelling Good Too.” The New York Times October 21 2010: E6. 2010.

Haller, Dominique. Interview with Aviva Rahmani and Glenn Albrecht about Solastalgia, Produced by Here on Earth for Wisconsin NPR www.hereonearth.org March 2, 2010.

Carpenter, Lucas. Review of Still Waters Show Art Papers (January/February 2010): 50. 2010.

Boetzkes, Amanda. At the Limit of Form: The Ethics of Contemporary Earth Art. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2010.

Black, Helene and Pinkel, Sheila. In Transition Russia 2008. Presented by NeMe, 2008

Boettger, Suzaan. “Global Warnings.” Art in America. June/July 2008: illustrated page 161, discussed page 206. 2008.

Kagan, Sacha and Steinbrugge, Bettina. Eds. Everything Will Be Fine. Germany: Universitat Lueneberg, 2008.          

Dederer, Claire. “Looking for Inspiration in the Melting Ice.” Sunday Arts & Leisure, New York Times September 23, 2007.

Genocchio, Benjamin. “Digging In to Nurture Nature.” New York Times May 20, 2007.

Lippard, Lucy. Weather Report. Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder Colorado, 2007.                  

Carruthers, Beth. “Mapping the Terrain of Contemporary EcoART Practice and Collaboration.” Online posting http://greenmuseum.org/generic_content.php?ct_id=263 2006.

Love, Barbara J. and Cott, Nancy F. Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2006.

Auses, Jack; Kester, Grant and Strayer, Jenny Eds. Groundworks. Pennsylvania: Carnegie Mellon University, 2005.

Mellin, Anke, Curator. Visions About Nature. South Korea: The Korean Nature Artists Association-Yatoo, 2005.

Strelow, Heike. Aesthetics of Ecology: Art in Environmental Design: Theory and Practice. Basel, Berlin, Boston: Birkhauser Verlag fur Architektur, 2004.

Orenstein, Gloria “The Greening of Gaia: Ecofeminist Artists Revisit the Garden.” Ethics and the Environment. Vol. 8 no. 1, Spring 2003. 103-111. 2003.    

Spaid, Sue. Ecovention: current art to transform ecologies.  Cincinnati, Ohio: Contemporary Art Center, greenmuseum.org and ecoartspace, 2002.                    

Sutherland, Amy. “Art-Eco on Vinalhaven.” Maine Telegram. June 10, 2001.

Schroeder, Paul; et al. “The Gulf of Maine Environmental Information Exchange: participation, observation, conversation.” Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design. 2001. Vol. 28. 865-887. www.commoncoordinates.com/papers/2001epbgominfoex.pdf 2001.

Lippard, Lucy. The Lure of the Local. New York: The New Press, 1997.

Braude, Norma and Garrard, Mary D. editors. The Power of Feminist Art. New York: Abrams.1994.

Harris, Craig. Leonardo Almanac. Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1993.            

Schwendenwein, Jude. “Breaking Ground: Art in the Environment.” Sculpture Magazine, September/October 1991.    

Tallmer, Jerry. “Artist’s ‘Ghost’ is a 9-year Haunt.” New York Post December 28, 1990.

Ollman, Leah. “Grief and Joy Unfold in Performance.” Los Angeles Times 1989.       

Raven, Arlene editor. Art in the Public Interest. Michigan: UMI Press, 9/8/1998.

Raven, Arlene. Crossing Over: Feminism and Art of Social Concern. Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1988.

Raven, Arlene. “Not a Pretty Picture; Can Violent Art Heal?” Village Voice. 6/17/1986.

Wallen, Ruth. “Review: The Medicine Wheel Mural.” High Performance Magazine. Spring 1986.

Morgan, Robert. “Views of a Violent World.” Sunday Democrat & Chronicle. 1986.

McDonald, Robert. “At the Galleries.” Los Angeles Times. November 22, 1985.        

Butler, Frances. “California Book Artists.” Crafts International. 1984.

Roth, Moira. The Amazing Decade. Astro Artz, 1983.

Sebastian, Jill. “Review of Floating Worlds Revisited.” New Art Examiner. November 12, 1983.

Raven, Arlene. At Home Show Catalogue published by Long Beach Museum of Art 1982.

Miller, Elise. “The Reproduction Dilemma.” Artweek. August 1983.

Miller, Elise. “The Artist as Parent,” San Diego Magazine. July 1983.

Burnham, Linda and Montano, Linda. “Saving the Moment: Aviva Rahmani.” High Performance Magazine, 1979.

Firpo, Patrick: Katayanagi, Claudia; Alexander, Lester and Ditlea, Steve. Copyart New York: Richard Marek Publishers, 1978.

Chicago, Judy. Through the Flower. New York: Doubleday, 1975.

Smith, Barbara. “Three Womanspace Performances.” Artweek. March, 1973.

Jones, Welton. “Troupe At Synanon Plans Non Smooth Performance.” San Diego Union. December, 1968.

Publications by Aviva Rahmani

“Islands in the Sun.” Mammut August 210:17-18.2010

Feminist Ideas Then and Now… WEAD http://weadartists.org/feminist- ideas-then-now-are-linkedchanged-expandedcontracted August 24, 2010.

“The Horizontal Press Conference.” CSPA Quarterly Issue 2 Feb 26, 2010:14-17. 2010

“Collaborating with the Earth. Trigger Point Garden” Public Issue #41, 2010.

  “The Press Conference” online posting February Quarterly Issue http://sustainablepractice.org/newsletter/10Jan/ 2010

“Islands in the Sun”, Working Waterfront, February/March 2010.

“An American at COP15” online posting  http.magazine.cultura21.de/piazza/English 2010

1000x Landscape Architecture, Germany: Verlagshaus Braun Vertrieb, 2009.

Aviva Rahmani's Virtual Concerts. Interview by Britt Bravo. http://artheals.libsyn.com 2008.             

Interview of Aviva Rahmani by Sam Bower. http://greenmuseum.org/generic_content.php?ct_id=302. 2008.

“Practical Ecofeminism.” Blaze; Discourse on Art, Women and Feminism. Ed. Karen Frostig and Kathy Halamka. Cambridge Scholars Press. Newcastle. 2007. 315.

“Environmental Triage: Disturbance Theory, Trigger Points, and Virtual Analogs for Physical Sites.” Sustainability: a new frontier for the arts and cultures. Eds. Sacha Kagan, Volker Kirchberg and, Gerd Michelsen. Verlag für Akademische Schriften (VAS) Frankfurt. 264. 2007.                 

“The Butterfly Effect,” Soundscapes, The Journal of Acoustic Ecology. 2007.           

“Birthing A Virtual Residency.” Online posting.

greenmuseum.org. http://greenmuseum.org/ generic_content.php?ct_id=263. 2005.

“Why Blue Rocks?” Online posting. 2002. greenmuseum.org.

 http://greenmuseum.org/content/artist_content/ct_id-91__artist _id-23.html 2002.

“The Mental Technology of REQUIEM.” ACT Magazine 1989.

“The Floating Worlds Project.” High Performance Magazine. June, 1983.

“Floating Worlds.” California: InterNetwork Press, 1983.