An interview with 2025 Curatorial Resident Rachel Dukes ahead of the opening of the group show she curated on July 10, 2026 at Chicago Artists Coalition. This spotlight series aims to serve as an intimate introduction to our residents and their work through a Q&A-style interview. Interview originally conducted on April 22, 2026 by Dana Randall, Communications and Alumni Relations Manager at Chicago Artists Coalition.
All images credited to Diana Noh.
Q: How do you approach building a new exhibition from concept to installation?
A: This exhibition with CAC is the first time that I’ve been able to go through the full process of developing an exhibition with new work. So I started out by having a lot of conversations with the artists. We met both one-on-one, and then we’ve had group meetings, pretty consistently. I’ve also been able to connect with the artists socially, whether it be at openings or other art events around the city. So, it’s been really important for me to establish not only a good working relationship, but a good personal rapport with the artists as well.
That’s an early facet of my approach. These meetings are helpful in understanding what they’re exploring in their work, and so I could start thinking about the connections and the through lines between their practices. From a technical perspective, I have created a calendar in Google Sheets, kind of like a project management tool of sorts, and I work backwards from there to be able to make sure that I’m staying on track for our dates, making sure that we have all bases covered.
I also take tons of notes. I write everything down. Even, like, random thoughts that’ll come into my mind, I’ll jot them down in either my planner, a notebook, or a notes app. I’ll just try to get it out of my head. And I refer back to all of the notes that I take very often. legwork w.
The last part of that is the research that goes into it. After I meet with artists either one-on-one or as a group, I will download the information, think on it, and do research from there. I like to use academic resource sites like JSTOR, Project MUSE, and all of that. I also go to bookstores often to find things. Actually, I recently found a book at a Powell’s Bookstore in Hyde Park that was very inspiring for the exhibition we’re working on, the Rachel Rose Wil-o-Wisp exhibition catalog.
Q: How has your work evolved since being in the CAC residency?
A: One of the things I wrote in my application was that I was looking forward to dreaming alongside artists, and I feel like that’s what I’ve been able to do. I don’t have a background in art or art history, so being able to work with artists and build that relationship, I feel like I’m developing a new language.
And I’ve been really fortunate with my pod. They’ve all been extremely generous and want to learn and dream alongside me as well. I think my participation in the residency has helped me expand my creativity and my curatorial voice, and I’ve felt that come through as I’ve crafted the exhibition narrative and the exhibition layout. that come through as I craft our exhibition narrative and start to get into some other elements of our show.
Q: What are some of your biggest influences? Where do you find inspiration?
A: I am super into surrealism as a framework. Surrealism helps me think about the relationship between the viewer and the artwork, and having the artwork kind of serve as this portal to new worlds and new understandings that the artists are trying to bring us into through their work. So as I craft the exhibition narrative, I think a lot about how to bring viewers in, and I kind of lean back on that definition of surrealism that I had to get me there.
There’s a book called Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination by Robin D. G. Kelley. And in this book he’s talking about freedom movements across the African diaspora, how these wild aspirations for a freer future are kind of what propelled the movements forward, even though it seemed like a goal may not have been achieved. The power to dream is what pushed those movements forward. Surrealist theory has helped me develop a framework to think about the potential of exhibitions and being able to expose broad audiences to radical narratives related to our sociopolitical position, where we are currently. And I feel like exhibitions can do that in a really creative way.
The other influence that I have is an artist and writer by the name of Renee Gladman. She literally builds worlds with her words and with drawing. I just find it to be a really beautiful way of telling a very personal story that’s also very radical, through her work.
Q: Do you have a favorite mediums to work with? What about them speaks to you?
A: I don’t know that I have any mediums that I specifically work with as a curator. I really like work that makes you pause and think, work that really captivates you. It doesn’t necessarily have to be abstract. I like experimental work or work that doesn’t fit into a definition, that doesn’t have a linear way of understanding something. I like work that can open possibilities.
Q: How do you think about using exhibitions to foster dialogue about social or contemporary issues?
A: I was really happy that you included this question because exhibitions really were the entry point for me to understand different social, political, and contemporary issues. It wasn’t through academic training. For me, art exhibitions are what brought me into that dialogue. And so it’s something as a curator that I’m always keeping in the back of my mind, something that’s a necessary component of exhibitions.
I think sometimes when you talk about sociopolitical issues, especially in this climate, it’s something that people shy away from. And I think that now, especially, is the time to touch on these issues without saying, like, the thing, using the exhibition space as a way to bring forth those conversations that can impact how people think about themselves within a sociopolitical dynamic.
Q: In keeping with our values, one thing we want to do is cultivate a community of knowledge-sharing. What is something you would encourage other curators to learn about? What is something that made a difference in your career?
A: This is a good one. I would say, for my career in arts administration, being open, being curious, and getting to know a lot of different people and a lot of different artists. When I first entered, I thought there was only one art world, and everyone coexisted under that, but that could not be further from the truth. So I think being exposed to a lot of different things and seeking out a lot of different kinds of art and exhibition spaces and different organizations is important.
It’s given me a really broad view of what is out there, and it’s allowed me to dream about what is possible, and how I can fit into this.
Q: Do you have a personal philosophy relating to your practice or your life?
A: I’m looking up at my whiteboard, and the last thing that I wrote on it was “Nobody cares. Work harder.” And it’s something that A’ja Wilson said in a podcast interview. It was very helpful for me at the moment to just keep pushing myself forward and not to personalize some of the challenges that I’m facing, knowing that we’re all kind of moving through challenges in different ways, and that those shouldn’t be roadblocks to achieving a goal or a dream.
I am also a very curious person, and I think that has served me well. It’s something that I’m very thankful for. Just always wanting to know more or know differently or see something in a new way. I ask tons of questions all the time. And there’s so much to learn.
Website: racheled.com
Instagram: @__racheldukes
You can meet Rachel and learn more about her work at the group show opening on Friday, July 10, 2026 from 5-8pm at Chicago Artists Coalition featuring Herman Aguirre, Diana Noh, and Skyler Simpson.