Blog Archives

Q: What was it like having a documentary made about you? (Question from Culture Focus Magazine)

With Jennifer Cox at the 2023 Newport Beach Film Festival!

A: I loved the whole experience!  Before this happened, I had wanted to make a film for ten years or so, ever since Brainard Carey, an artists’ coach, suggested the idea when I told him about my unusual background. Often I hear from artist friends and others that my life story is truly inspiring. Finally being able to make “Barbara Rachko: True Grit” and now to share it with a wider audience is a dream come true! Jennifer Cox, our director, and Annette Apitz, our co-producer, were ideal collaborators over the fifteen months it took to make the film.  

It is truly gratifying to hear so many positive responses from viewers of our film. Surprisingly, the film has even gone on to have a life in film festivals.  “Barbara Rachko:  True Grit” made it’s World Premier at the prestigious 2023 Newport Beach Film Festival in Orange County, California, where it received both the Audience Award and the Best in category Award for Art, Architecture, and Design.  In addition, we earned Honorable Mention at the 2023 International Fine Arts Film Festival Santa Barbara and were recognized as an Award Nominee at the 2023 Montreal Women Film Festival.

To date in 2024 our film has screened at New Plaza Cinema on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and at Noise Media Art Fair in Vienna, Austria. I think I speak for the filmmakers and myself when I say, “Barbara Rachko:  True Grit” has exceeded all of our expectations!

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJWLy84kXI0

Comments are welcome!

Q: What are your most significant professional accomplishments to date?

"Big Deal," soft pastel on sandpaper, 58" x 38"

“Big Deal,” soft pastel on sandpaper, 58″ x 38″

A:  I will mention these:  my 1996 solo exhibition at a venerable New York gallery that specialized in Latin American-influenced art, Brewster Arts Ltd. at 41 West 57th Street; completion of Aljira’s Emerge 2000 business program for professional artists; and a solo exhibition at the Walton Art Center in Fayetteville, AR, in 2005.  All three were very important factors in my artistic and professional development.

In January I published my first eBook, From Pilot to Painter, on Amazon.

In February I was interviewed by Brainard Carey for his Yale University Radio program.  It can be heard at

http://museumofnonvisibleart.com/interviews/barbara-rachko/

Most recently I was interviewed for a fourteen-page article (the longest they have ever published on a single artist!) in ARTiculAction Art Review.  Please see

http://issuu.com/articulaction/docs/articulaction_art_review_-_july_201/30

Comments are welcome!