Raechel Cook (she/her) is a dot connector, experience constructor, and Associate Curator of Academic Programming at the Weatherspoon Art Museum. She believes the arts are part of a complete breakfast and integral to a holistic education. She works with faculty, staff, and students from all academic disciplines to facilitate meaningful art encounters.
Raechel received an MFA in Textiles from the University of Kansas (KU) and a BA in Visual Art from the University of Northern Colorado. Her thesis work, The Inner Life of Nouns, had nothing to do with textiles and instead explored collecting, our relationship with everyday objects, and how those things acquire meaning. Raechel discovered that “academic programming” at university museums was an actual job during graduate school while working as the Andrew W. Mellon Academic Programs Intern at the Spencer Museum of Art at KU.
Most recently, Raechel served as the Curator of Academic Engagement at the University of Wyoming (UW) Art Museum in Laramie, WY. Before arriving at UW, she managed several undergraduate certificate programs at KU and specialized in completing tasks that did not fit neatly into someone else’s job description. In her spare time, you can find Raechel napping, making whimsical gifts for people, hiking, or at the farmer’s market asking a total stranger if she can pet their dog.
