Temple University

Rachael Reynolds (she/her) specializes in the history of photography and other works on paper. Her dissertation focuses on the performativity of photographic processes from capture to darkroom through analysis of work by Anne Brigman, Nell Dorr, Tina Modotti, and Mary Beth Edelson, whose work centers on gender, nature, and magic spans the twentieth century. Addressing the materiality and conceptual contributions of these artists, Reynolds explores intersectional and interdisciplinary progress, subversive use of media, the materiality of light, as well as blended themes of literature, dance, Paganism, and the occult—representing an expansive view of American photographic history.
 
Reynolds’s professional experience spans museums, galleries, and arts education, having held roles in curatorial, collections management, exhibition management, research, and secondary education. Most recently, Reynolds worked in the photography curatorial department at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Emily Davis Gallery at The University of Akron while initiating independent curatorial and consulting projects. Reynolds earned a Master of Art in Theatre Arts and Arts Administration at The University of Akron, where her thesis examined the representation of women in scholarship and museum spaces.  
 
Before pursuing graduate studies, Reynolds’s gravitation to art history was catalyzed by her artistic practice and beginning her higher education journey in the sciences. Viewing photography as both an art and a science, Reynolds has pursued the medium artistically and academically—fostering a special interest in alternative processes and materiality.
 
Dissertation Title: “Magical Materiality: The Expansive History of American Photographic Performance in the Twentieth Century”

MA, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration, The University of Akron

Primary Advisor: Erin Pauwels, PhD