Personal information

Biography

Rachel Mader is an art researcher; since 2012 she has directed the competence centre Art in Public Spheres, at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Art.

2009-14 head of project Organising contemporary arts: artistic practice and cultural policy in Postwar Britain; 2008-9, research assistant at the Institute for Contemporary Arts Research (IFCAR) at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). From 2002 to 2008 she was a research assistant specialising in contemporary art history at the universities of Bern and Zurich.

She completed her PhD in 2006 with a dissertation entitled “Beruf Künstlerin. Strategien, Konstruktion und Kategorien am Beispiel Paris 1870-1900” (Women as professional artists: strategies, construction and categories using the example of Paris from 1870 to 1900) Frank & Timme, 2009.

She was awarded the 2006 Deubner Prize for her article “Meister der Leuchtstoffröhren – Wie Dan Flavin zu seinem Stil kam” (Master of fluorescent lights: how Dan Flavin arrived at his style). She has spent time researching in London (Organising Contemporary Arts), New York (on the theme of collective artistic creation in the 1980s) and Paris, and has been awarded various scholarships.

Rachel Mader has also worked as critic (springerin, camera austria) and curator (including Shedhalle and Belluard Bollwerk Festival Fribourg), and has organised conferences and discussions with artists. Since 2008 she has been a member of the foundation board of GegenwART at the Museum of Fine Arts in Bern and currently she is co-president of SARN (Swiss Artistic Research Network).

Activities

Employment (7)

Hochschule Luzern Design and Kunst: Emmenbrucke, Luzern, CH

2012-01-09 to present | Head of Competence Centre Art, Design & Public Spheres (Design & Kunst)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Zurich University of the Arts: Zurich, CH

2009-12 to 2014-08 | Senior Researcher (Institute for Contemporary Art Research)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

University of Zurich: Zurich, CH

2010-11 to 2011-01 | Scientific Coordinator (Art History Institute)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Zurich University of the Arts: Zurich, CH

2008-11 to 2009-11 | Scientific Collaborator (Institute of Contemporary Art Research)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

University of Bern: Bern, CH

2002-07 to 2008-09 | Scientific Collaborator (Institute of Art History)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

University of Zurich: Zurich, CH

2006-10 to 2008-07 | Scientific Collaborator (Art History Institute)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Federal Office of Communication: Biel, CH

2000-07 to 2002-02 | Scientific Collaborator (Local media)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Education and qualifications (5)

University of Bern: Bern, CH

2012-09 to 2018-11 | Habilitation (Faculty of Humanities)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts: Lucerne, CH

2015-03 to 2016-03 | Certificate in University Didactics (University Didactics )
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

University of Bern: Bern, CH

2001-06 to 2006-04 | PhD (Institute of Art History)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

University of Basel: Basel, CH

2001-05 to 2005-04 | PhD (Transdisciplinary Graduate School 'Knowledge - Gender -Symbolic Order')
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

University of Bern: Bern, CH

1992-09 to 1999-07 | MA (Art History, Philosophy, History)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Professional activities (6)

Swiss National Science Foundation: Bern, CH

2020 to present | Member Evaluation Committee (Practice to Science)
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Swiss Artistic Research Network: Basel, CH

2017 to present | Co-Presidency
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Art Museum Bern: Bern, CH

2008 to present | Board Member (Foundation GegenwART)
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

German Association for Art History: Bonn, DE

2007 to present | Deubner-Prize for ‚Meister der Leuchstoffröhren – Wie Dan Flavin zu seinem Stil kam
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Culture Departement: Bern, CH

2014 to 2020 | Member (Art in Public Space Commission)
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Swiss National Science Foundation: Bern, CH

2009 to 2014 | Ambizione Fellowship for project Organising Contemporary Art
Invited position
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Funding (6)

Biennalisierung der Landschaft oder kulturell geleitete Regionalentwicklung?

2024-03 to 2028-02 | Grant
Swiss National Science Foundation (Bern, CH)
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Open Science for Arts, Design and Music

Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

COLLECTING THE EPHEMERAL. Prerequisites and Possibilities for Making Performance Art Last

2019-10 to 2023-09 | Grant
Swiss National Science Foundation (Bern, CH)
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Off OffOff Of? Schweizer Kulturpolitik und Selbstorganisation in der Kunst seit 1980

2015-05 to 2018-04 | Grant
Swiss National Science Foundation (Bern, CH)
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

What can art do? Zur Relevanz von politisch engagierter Kunst seit 1960

2015-02 to 2018-01 | Grant
Swiss National Science Foundation (Bern, CH)
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader

Stadt auf Achse

2010-06 to 2012-06 | Grant
Innosuisse – Swiss Innovation Agency (Bern, CH)
Source: Self-asserted source
Rachel Mader