X
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use this website, you consent to our use of these cookies.

Reflections from Artist Rachel Adams ‘01

Rachel Adams graduated from Nashoba Brooks School in 2001. She went on to study at Lawrence Academy followed by Maine College of Art and Design. Now living in Portland as a successful artist, textile designer, entrepreneur, wife and mother of two, Rachel shares her journey from student to full time artist.
Rachel recalls her experiences studying art at Nashoba Brooks under teachers Ms. Lawson and Ms. Stanley–both of whom she had hometown connections with. For Rachel, “The art studio quickly became a touchstone to home” where she vividly remembers creating magazine mosaics and a plaster mask of spaghetti–featuring her own face as the sauce. Rachel explains that she “always loved being in the art room. It was a safe haven. I felt like a competent, confident student; when, at times in other classes, it was difficult to find my voice, the art room was my place to shine.”

After graduating from Nashoba Brooks, Rachel attended Lawrence Academy with a handful of her classmates. When it came time to pursue her next step, however, Rachel struggled. She saw her peers following wonderful educational paths that she, herself, was not interested in. She knew she loved creating art, but was not sure if pursuing it through an art school would be the right choice for her. One day her art teacher mom picked her up from school and sat her down in her art studio with all types of medium laid out before her. Rachel was given one task: ‘don’t get up until you’ve made something.’ Rachel remained focused on the creation in front of her until it was complete. It was the first time she had been given a non-school art assignment and the first time she had a creative high from making and diving in without thinking. From this experience, Rachel gained the confidence to explore art fully and look into how she could further her education in the field.

Rachel went on to attend Maine College of Art and Design. After college, Rachel followed the path of many art school graduates by working in the service industry. Eventually, she moved back home to Harvard, MA where she engaged in an opportunity to work with the town to transform an old library into a cultural arts center for all ages. There, Rachel curated art shows that featured works by seventh grade amateurs and some of Boston’s most established artists. She also created after school programs for elementary and middle school students, and hosted community led cooking classes and yoga practices, “every person I met, I tried to see what they wanted to share with their community.” 

Rachel eventually made the move back to Portland and worked with a company called DesignTex, where she was a member of the design team and project manager before ultimately deciding that it was time to make her own artwork her full time job. After years of making art on the side, Rachel and her husband, Ryan Adams, both took steps towards making art their careers. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it launched Rachel into pursuing her art career faster than planned. Rachel describes this time as a “cultural awakening…where all of a sudden black creatives are being seen in worlds where they had been overlooked.” For both Rachel and Ryan, this awakening catapulted them full force into the art world. 

Rachel and Ryan are being featured in magazines, doing modeling jobs, and exploring opportunities they did not know existed. This boom helped them realize that while they thought they were not getting opportunities because their artwork was not good enough, in fact, “we were not seen because we didn’t have a seat at the table.” Rachel was able to launch her company, TACHEE, a textile design company that offers small batch printed goods, design collaborations, and more. The company, originally inspired by Rachel’s desire to have gender-neutral clothing for her two daughters, quickly became a place for much more. When asked about the decision to name the brand TACHEE, Rachel explains that it was the way she used to say her own name as a young child. For her, the name alludes to her childish side and her childhood dream of creating art. For now, Rachel hopes to grow her brand, collaborate with other talented artists, and eventually become a household name.

Rachel shared some advice for current Nashoba Brooks School students. The advice resonates with community members of all ages:
  1. Trust your gut. 
  2. Don’t be afraid to do what you’re actually passionate about.
  3. Feel confident in who you are. It’s better to be yourself than to pretend to be somebody else.
For young artists hoping to find their future career in the field, Rachel has this to say: “We’re literally at all times surrounded by art. Figure out what it is you like to do and see how it can be applied to different things.”

You can find Rachel’s work on her website and instagram and visit her mural installations in various locations around Massachusetts and Maine. 


Photos with permission from Rachel’s website, rachelgloria.com
Back

More News

List of 20 news stories.

  • Grade 1 Belts It Out!

    This afternoon our community watched first graders ‘Belt It Out’!
    Read More
  • Grade 3 Community Hero Projects

    After weeks of hard work, Grade 3 students had the opportunity to present their Community Hero projects to their families and their interview subjects!
    Read More
  • Visiting Lawrence Academy Alumni

    A recent opportunity to connect with alumni attending Lawrence Academy left all in attendance filled with warm memories.
    Read More
  • Family Fun at Fall Weekend!

    The Nashoba Brooks School campus was bursting with excitement Friday, November 4, through Sunday, November 6, as we celebrated our annual Fall Weekend. 
    Read More
  • 2022 Concord Bookshop Day: A Smashing Success

    This year’s Concord Bookshop Day was one for the records!
    Read More
  • Students Consider Many High School Choices

    After almost a year of research, school visits, interviews, self-reflection, and essay writing, the Grade 8 class is enjoying a variety of excellent high schools to choose from.
    Read More
  • Students Recognized by National Latin Exam

    Every year, thousands of Latin students across the United States and the world take the National Latin Exam (NLE).
    Read More
  • Award Winning Authors Speak with Students

    Alongside the book fair and poetry month, April has been a wonderful time for literature at Nashoba Brooks School. Sharon Draper and Jen Campbell, two celebrated authors, left their mark on the community over the past few weeks.
    Read More
  • Parents Rave in Annual Survey

    More than 75 parents responded to this year’s annual School survey and numbers were well balanced across all grade levels. The results of the survey are impressive and the feedback the parents offer to the School is glowing.
    Read More
  • Nashoba Brooks Poets Published

    As Black History Month comes to a close, students and faculty alike celebrate diversity, acknowledging that a school is not only classrooms, gymnasiums, and fields, but also the people within these walls. Each  year and at every grade level our students contemplate the presence and importance of different backgrounds, experiences and beliefs. And this month provides community members with an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be Black in America.
    Read More
  • Nashoba Brooks Prioritizes Affordability

    Read More
  • Grade 7 Students Help Local Turtles Thrive

    As part of a multi-school initiative to support endangered species, Grade 7 students foster two Blanding's turtles for the school year.
    Read More
  • Reflections from Artist Rachel Adams ‘01

    Rachel Adams graduated from Nashoba Brooks School in 2001. She went on to study at Lawrence Academy followed by Maine College of Art and Design. Now living in Portland as a successful artist, textile designer, entrepreneur, wife and mother of two, Rachel shares her journey from student to full time artist.
    Read More
  • Guiding Grade 8 Students Through the Secondary School Search

    Guida Mattison, Nashoba Brooks School's director of secondary school placement, wants to remove as much stress as possible from the high school application process that Grade 8 students go through each year.
    Read More
  • Grade 3 Meets Author Christine Day

    Recently, Ms. Gaffny and Ms. Keady's Grade 3 students had the exciting opportunity to meet Christine Day, the author of I Can Make This Promise.
    Read More
  • Digging into Identity

    Employees spent much of last week’s professional development day discussing identity—both personal and communal.
    Read More
  • A Loving Legacy

    On Saturday,  November 6, the School held an event to officially dedicate the Denault Library Courtyard, the most recent gift in the notable commitment of the Denault family to Nashoba Brooks School.
    Read More
  • Liz Joyce Accepted as a 2021-2022 Fellow by NCGS' Global Action Research Collaborative

    Nashoba Brooks' school counselor, Liz Joyce, was accepted as a 2021-2022 fellow by The National Coalition of Girls' Schools' Global Action Research Collaborative. NCGS is an advocacy group that helps connect schools and organizations that educate and empower girls.
    Read More
  • Dedicated to Discovery

    On Wednesday, October 20, the School held a dedication event to officially name the Sureau Family Discovery Barn. While the pandemic limited the size of the event, the community looks forward to a larger spring celebration of this compelling new addition to our campus facilities.
    Read More
  • Students Celebrate Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month

    This year our students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by investigating a myriad of Hispanic and Latinx scholars, writers, and activists. In the first half of the month, students explored fifteen impactful individuals and events,  selected by the Inclusivity Leadership Team (ILT).
    Read More
Archive
Situated on a beautiful 30-acre campus in historic Concord, Massachusetts, Nashoba Brooks School enrolls all genders in Preschool through Grade 3, and students identifying as girls in Grades 4 through 8. Nashoba Brooks is an independent school designed to build community, character, and confidence in its students.
Copyright © 2020 Nashoba Brooks School of Concord. All Rights Reserved.