University of North Texas 
About
Rachel Black earned an M.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of North Texas and
a B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Dallas. She has taught studio art and
foundations courses in the UNT College of Visual Arts and Design since 2003 and is
currently a principal lecturer in Foundations. As lead faculty, she mentors graduate
students in teaching while also instructing first-year students in the studio classroom.
Black’s research often takes her hiking in remote landscapes that become inspiration
for large-scale oil paintings. In January 2026, she served as guest faculty for the
study abroad course Tracing Darwin’s Path, headquartered at the Cape Horn International
Center in Puerto Williams, Chile. Her travel to Chile was supported by a CVAD Cornerstone
Grant. In 2024, Black was selected as the inaugural artist-in-residence at Valles
Caldera National Preserve in Jemez Springs, New Mexico.
Black received faculty development leave in spring 2024, allowing time for research
and travel throughout the American West. The resulting works were presented in her
solo exhibition Journeywork at the Irving Arts Center in spring 2025.
She also served as a crew member for a Sol LeWitt mural project in the Customs Hall
at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Her work is held in the permanent
collections of the University of Dallas and the National Park Service. Black has taught
workshops at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Irving Arts Center, Irving,
Texas, worked as a staff member at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth,
Texas, and regularly exhibits throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
She is currently pursuing a degree in geography and the environment at UNT.