Rachel David

Rachel David, raised in Maryland and current resident of Waynesville NC, is a blacksmith, sculptor, designer and maker.  Her metalwork practice is holistic; encompassing art, furniture, architectural elements, activism, collaborations and gardening.  Her objects reference social and environmental justice, community, and communication; analyzing the many layers of colonization, restraints and expectations across bodies and landscapes. Her work focuses on deep concerns about social inequalities, environmental degradation, and systemic prejudices. With the goal of exposing these injustices and promoting productive conversations about them. Each creative opportunity is another chance to challenge herself as a maker and citizen: a moment when she takes risks to express her feelings and expand her understanding of both materials and concepts.  
 

Rachel has been  a visiting artist at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (LA), The Crucible (CA), and Community-First Forge (TX).  She taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (ME), Peters Valley School of Craft (NJ), Appalachian Center for Craft (TN), the New Agrarian School (MT), and Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (IL).   Rachel organized and curated the exhibitions Nu Iron Age in 2017 and Meta Formation: Experiments and Rituals in 2019.  She has exhibited work nationally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions and received Best in Show and Artist Gold Choice award at the Smithsonian Craft Show in 2019, only the second time in their history.  Her work has been published in books and magazines including Ironwork Today 4 and is included in the collections of  the City of New Orleans, the Simone Benetton Foundation, and numerous private individuals.