Rachel Weaver Rivera, an artist and educator, has an M.F.A. in painting from the School of Art at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a B.F.A. from the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois, Champaign.

 Rachel is owner of Imagine Art Studio.  She has over fifteen years teaching experience in a variety of educational settings including The San Jose Public Schools residency program, Chicago Commons Human Service Agency, The Evanston Art Center, Triton College, and Chicago Children’s Museum.

Rachel’s work with children has been inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach. She is a frequent presenter on children’s visual communication and designing educational spaces that promote creativity.

She has exhibited her paintings at Orleans Street Gallery, Artful Gatherings Gallery, Tall Grass Arts Association, Apollo Theater Gallery Gathering Place Gallery, Evanston Art Center Gallery, Mars Gallery, Womanmade Gallery, Chicago Cultural Center,

Selected Recent Presentations:
2006 Telling Stories of Children's Learning, Distilling and Displaying Documentation of Children's Work and Play Chicago Metro AEYC Conference , Chicago, IL
Art Smart: The Power of Art in Early Childhood Classrooms, Starnet, Springfield, IL
Beyond the Easel, Reggio Inspired Ideas for Painting with Children Children's Home and Aid Society, Schaumburg, IL
Fostering Creativity in Children, Parent University , LaGrange, IL

2005 Meaning and Materials, Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago, IL
The Reggio Emilia Approach, Luthern Family Mission, Hickory Hills, IL
Exploring Materials with Children, Union Church Pre-school Program, Hinsdale, IL
2004 Problems into Possibilities, Designing Reggio-Inspired Environments and Experiences for Children, The Erikson Institute, Chicago, IL
Beyond Field Trip Basics, What Children Really Learn: Documentation Techniques for Educators, Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago, IL
2003 The Evolution of Artabounds Gallery at Chicago Children’s Museum, National Art Education Association Conference, Denver, CO
Reconsidering Art in the Classroom, DuPage Children’s Museum, Naperville, IL
Rooms of Wonder, Situations of Discovery, Teaching and Researching with the Child in Mind, Ohio AEYC Annual Conference, Columbus, OH
2002 Discovering Children’s Interests Through Creative Expression, GoAEYC Oakton Community College Home Daycare Provider Conference
Expressive Materials/Clay, The Ounce of Prevention and University of Illinois Children’s Center, Chicago, IL


© 2007 No image on this website may be copied without the expressed written consent of the artist.