Multimedia Visual Artist, Composer & Cellist; TED Senior Fellow; Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University; Guggenheim Fellow
Paul Rucker Biography
Paul Rucker is an American multimedia visual artist, composer, and musician whose work explores the intersection of art, history, and social justice. Rucker's practice integrates live performance, original musical compositions, and visual art installations, using art as a social practice to examine the legacy of enslavement and incarceration in the United States and their connections to contemporary sociopolitical issues. His work is developed through an interactive process that investigates community impacts, human rights, historical research, and human emotions. A trained cellist, Rucker has developed a distinctive approach to the cello, incorporating unconventional techniques such as placing chopsticks between the strings, using the instrument as a drum, and experimenting with electronics including loop pedals.
Rucker's installation "REWIND" received critical recognition for its exploration of America's history regarding race, power, and social justice. The exhibition uses text, video, and sculptural installations to re-envision historical events and analyze issues such as the representation of young people of color in juvenile detention, the economics of the prison-industrial complex, and the enduring effects of slavery. "REWIND" was recognized by Baltimore Magazine and Baltimore City Paper, and reviewed by outlets including Huffington Post, Artnet News, Washington Post, The Root, and The Real News Network. Rucker's KKK robes, reimagined in colorful fabrics and prints, were restaged in "Rewind Resurrection" in New York, an exhibition examining the history of racism in the United States.
Rucker's multimedia work addresses topics such as mass incarceration, lynching, police brutality, and the ongoing influence of slavery in America. His TED talk on appropriating symbols of systemic racism has reached a wide audience. Rucker also created the multimedia project "Three Black Wall Streets," which honors the achievements of Black entrepreneurs and visionaries who established thriving communities after the Civil War. "Banking While Black," an interactive multimedia experience derived from this project, was exhibited at Arizona State University and examined economic violence and racial inequality.
Rucker has received several honors in the arts, including the Creative Capital Award in visual art, the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant, the Rauschenberg Artist as Activist Fellowship, the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and the TED Fellowship. He is also a TED Senior Fellow and recipient of the Arts Innovator Award from the Dale and Leslie Chihuly Foundation and Artist Trust. Rucker serves as an iCubed Arts Research Fellow and assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, and as curator for creative collaboration for VCUarts.
Rucker is the recipient of $2 million in grant funding from the Mellon Foundation and the Art for Justice Fund, supporting the establishment of a multidisciplinary arts space and lending library in Richmond, Virginia, to house and share his archive. The museum project, Cary Forward, focuses on correcting false narratives and addressing exclusion in shared histories. With a collection of more than 50,000 artifacts, Rucker continues to combine art, history, and objects to tell stories that encourage imagining an equitable future. In a TED Salon talk, he introduced Cary Forward as a museum dedicated to spotlighting histories of exclusion and perseverance.
Paul Rucker Videos
Paul Rucker - TED
"Leaving out information can be just as detrimental as a lie,” says multidisciplinary artist Paul Rucker. In a talk bookended by two cello...
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Paul Rucker is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Anti-Racism, Art & Design, Civil Rights, Creativity, DEI, Government, Innovation, Law, Music, Social Activism, Social Justice, Storytelling, TED -
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Paul Rucker is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Paul Rucker for your event is available upon request. Paul Rucker generally travels from Baltimore, MD, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Gabes Torres, Abby Dobson, Jennifer Cendaña Armas, JLove Calderón and Karen Palmer. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Paul Rucker for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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