Artist statement: Rachel Lian Precht grew up in Western Maryland, surrounded by plants. She attributes her love of plants and flowers to the extensive gardens her parents and grandparents tended and the trips to greenhouses and nurseries that always felt like a special occasion.
Rachel uses mundane materials to make simple, but powerful statements. There is a beauty in the approachability of creating art from items that anyone has access to- if only they have the imagination.
The goal is simple - make art that makes people happy. Anyone anywhere should be able to enjoy it. Kids who enjoy the dancing shadows of ribbons moving in the wind to the construction workers who help install it and declare, “Isn’t that somethin’?”
Rachel is drawn to the beauty of imperfection. Ribbons that become tangled and weave themselves together using the elements. The slow but inevitable wear and tear on materials reminds us that time leaves nothing untouched, and we are no different.
Artist description: Purple Path was created using over 3,000 yards of ribbons suspended to dance in the wind, allowing time and the elements to weave them together inextricably.