Rachel Schmidt

Rachel Schmidt from the USA was the 2018 Artist in Residence at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig under the Jon Schueler Residency Programme. Rachel is an installation artist based in the Washington, DC region and was based at the College between July and October 2018. 

During her time here, Rachel used time-based media and installation to explore our impact on ecosystems, future landscapes, and the role that myth plays in our understanding of the environment. At the end of her residency, Rachel, in collaboration with local artists Hector MacInnes and Caitlin MacKenzie, presented a live installation/sound/performance event in An Talla Mòr with proceeds going to SEALL’s Small Halls Festival. Back in the USA, Rachel continued a cross-Atlantic collaboration in 2019 with Sleat writer Rody Gorman and sound artist/musician Hector MacInnes here at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on video/sound interpretations of a series of Rody’s poems. The soundscape was recorded at Stiùidio Ostaig.

Rachel Schmidt’s solo show, ‘Cairn Sounds’, opened at Hamiltonian Gallery in Washington DC on 12 January 2019, featuring a new body of work that is the direct result of the residency at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

Rachel said about her residency: “The Jon Schueler Scholarship allowed me time and space to create art, to think, play and experiment. Thank you for exposing me to the profound community of scholars, artists, writers, and creatives at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. I have been telling people that the residency was something akin to winning the lottery, and I am forever changed and positively impacted by the time spent in the Isle of Skye. I was so impressed with the incredible staff, mission, and creative environment at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and please know that I am spreading the word about Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and its magic.”