Beth Reitmeyer is a visual artist based in Nashville, TN who likes to make people happy with her
colorful installations.
Beth was born in Colorado Springs, CO and raised in Louisville, KY. She attended Northwestern University (MFA), The School of the Art Institute (Post Baccalaureate program), and the Pennsylvania State University (BFA). Her sewing skills and love of glitter were learned from her mother.
Currently her work features a series of places based upon shared landscapes: investigating clouds, rivers, caves, geodes, stars, and the moon. The work examines the joy of unexpected yet beautiful spaces and places that may be discovered as one explores the land and structures within it. These spaces are comprised of rich, luscious, inviting materials, such as fabric, glitter, and twinkle lights. Space/place are crucial: how do our bodies relate to and interact with small and large objects? Larger objects shift and become more architectural, from things related to our bodies to spaces we inhabit. How do our bodies within spaces define who we are? The inviting environments allow the viewers to explore the land and get to know one another in a deeper, more profound way. They may also provide a space for renewal and hope for persevering.
Her artwork embraces radical optimism (everyone can find joy and hope) and indiscriminant hospitality (all are welcome to create and experience joy through sharing). Hopefully viewers will realize that people are like landscapes: we make assumptions about initial appearances, but through knowledge and experience, pleasant surprises abound as we gain a deeper knowledge of each other while in the land and through art.
Beth's work has recently been exhibited at the Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN; ChaShaMa, New York, NY; The Elizabeth Foundation, New York, NY; OZ Arts, Nashville, TN; 1708 Gallery & Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA; FIGMENT, Chicago, IL; North Park University, Chicago, IL; Kindling Arts Festival, Nashville, TN; The Downing Museum, Bowling Green, KY; Tomato Arts Festival, Nashville, TN; Ground Floor Gallery, Nashville, TN; Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL; Ground Floor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; BOX13 ArtSpace, Houston, TX; The Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest, IL; goldenPARACHUTES, Berlin. Beth has been an artist-in-residence at The Studios at MASS MoCA; ChaNorth, Pine Plains, NY;
The Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts, New Berlin, NY; The Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest, IL; Arts Letters & Numbers, Averil Park, NY; Mineral House Media; Vinegar, Birmingham, AL; and a Maker-in-Residence at the Adventure Science Center, Nashville, TN. She currently serves as the President of COOP, Nashville's cooperative gallery of visual artists. Recent awards include grants from the Metro Nashville Arts Commission/National Endowment for the Arts and a finalist for a Burning Man grant.
Beth is passionate about training and nurturing the next generation of artists. She teaches with Briarwood Elementary, Cumberland Trace Elementary, Western Kentucky University, and Cheekwood Estate & Gardens.
Beth moved to Chicago for school and lived there for 15 years. In 2010, she returned to the south to be close to her sister who is raising three children; Beth's two nephews are on the autism spectrum. She has been trained in Applied Behavior Therapy (ABA) for autistic children, and it made sense for Beth to return to the south to work with her nephews since early intervention is key.
Photo: Krystal Henriquez / Assets for Artists / The Studios at MASS MoCA