Will Rawls
Exhibitions, CV, Press
Born 1978, Boston, MA
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
2000
Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Williams College, Williamstown, MA
WORKS
2025
[siccer], co-presentation by ICA LA/REDCAT, Los Angeles, CA (forthcoming)
2024
Parable of the Guest, Whitney Museum of American Art (forthcoming)
2023
A Phrase That Fits, group exhibition, 35th Bienal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BR
regular degular, group exhibition, Counterpublic Triennial, Luminary Arts, St. Louis, MO
regular degular, group exhibition, Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
[siccer], The Kitchen, (New York, NY). National tour: Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (Portland, OR), On the Boards (Seattle, WA), The Momentary (Bentonville, AR), Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, IL), The Momentary (Bentonville, AR)
2022
Amphigory, Adams and Ollman, Portland, OR
2021
Everlasting Stranger, solo exhibition, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
Cursor, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK: TBR (to-be-rescheduled)
2020
[sic] tv, Brooklyn, NY
2019
Cursor, Hessel Museum, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Cursor, Issue Project Room, Brooklyn, NY
What Remains, with Claudia Rankine, Institute of ContemporaryArt, Boston, MA
What Remains, with Claudia Rankine, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
What Remains, with Claudia Rankine, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT
See-Saw, with Andros-Zins Browne, The Work Is Never Done, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2018
What Remains, with Claudia Rankine, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois
What Remains, with Claudia Rankine, Crossing the Line Festival, Danspace Project, New York, NY
Cursor 3: Untitled, Issue Project Room, Brooklyn, NY
Cursor, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
Uncle Rebus, High Line Art, The High Line Park, New York, NY
Cursor 2: Ditties, Issue Project Room, Brooklyn, NY
The Tony Cokes Remixes No. 1, with Andros Zins-Browne, 10th Berlin Biennial, Berlin, Germany
Sister Spell, The Party, Alpha Dance [animated films], New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY
Cursor 1: Word Lists, Issue Project Room, Brooklyn, NY
2017
I make me [sic], TBA Festival, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
Q&A, Block Universe Festival, Peckham Asylum, London, England
Q&A, The Whitney Biennial, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
What Remains, with Claudia Rankine, Bard College Fisher Center, NY
2016
HONORARIUM, Kate Werble Gallery, New York, NY
The Planet-Eaters: Seconds, Schauspielhaus, Vienna, Austria
The Planet-Eaters: Seconds, National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY
A Marvelous Order [opera], with Tracy K. Smith, Judd Greenstein, Joshua Frankel, Williams College, Williamstown, MA
I make me [sic], Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA
I make me [sic], Greater New York, MoMA PS1, New York, NY
Personal Effects, Performa 15, Westbeth Artist Housing [Basement], New York, NY
2015
#loveyoumeanit, Platform: Dancers, Buildings and People in the Streets, Danspace Project, New York, NY
A Marvelous Order [opera], with Tracy K. Smith, Judd Greenstein, Joshua Frankel, Three-Legged Dog, New York, NY
Settlement House, Abrons Arts Center, New York, NY
2013
The Planet-Eaters, The Chocolate Factory Theater, New York, NY
2012
A folk tale, or some thoughts on dancing in the dark, Emily Harvey Foundation, New York, NY
Frontispieces, Platform: Parallels, Danspace Project, New York, NY
Dog Three, Dance Gang (with Kennis Hawkins), dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany
2011
Folk You! Folk Me Too!, Tanzquartier Wien, Vienna, Austria
2010
Census, Mount Tremper Arts, Catskills, NY
2009
Dog Breaks, Dance Gang (with Kennis Hawkins), Dance Theatre Workshop, New York, NY
Dog Free, Dance Gang (with Kennis Hawkins), Summer on the Hudson Festival, New York, NY
SELECTED PERFORMER EXPERIENCE
2018
Dancer, Landscapes of I, Björn Säfsten, European Tour: Sweden, Germany
2014
Dancer, Retrospective, Xavier Le Roy, MoMA PS 1, New York, NY
Dancer, Baron Samedi, Alain Buffard, European Tour: France, Germany, Switzerland
2012
Dancer, This Variation, Tino Sehgal, dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany
Dancer, The Show Must Go On, Jérôme Bel, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2010
Re-performer, The Artist Is Present, Marina Abramović, MoMA, New York, NY
Performer, This Progress, Tino Sehgal, Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
Dancer, Big Eater, David Neumann, The Kitchen, New York, NY
2009
“Mockette”, Burning Down The House, David Byrne, Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
2008
Dancer, Free the Angels, Nicholas Leichter, The Joyce Theater, New York, NY
Dancer, feedforward, David Neumann, Dance Theater Workshop, New York, NY
2005
Dancer, Agora, Noémie LaFrance, McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn, NY
2004
Dancer, Connect. Transfer., Shen Wei Dance Arts, Lincoln Center, New York, NY
Dancer, Connect. Transfer. & The Rite of Spring, Shen Wei Dance Arts, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2009–2017
Board of Directors, Movement Research, New York, NY
2016
Co-curator, Danspace Project Platform: Lost and Found, New York, NY
2014–2015
Co-editor, Critical Correspondence, Movement Research, New York, NY
2012
Co-curator, Danspace Project Platform: Parallels, New York, NY
2009
Co-curator, Movement Research Spring Festival 2009: ROLL CALL, New York, NY
AWARDS / RESIDENCIES
2022
Artist-in-Residence, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
Artist-in-Residence, The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Troy, NY
(postponed from 2020)
2021
Herb Alpert Award in the Arts Creative Capital Award, [siccer]
Artist-in-Residence, Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, Tallahassee, FL
Artist-in-Residence, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, OR (postponed from 2020)
2020
Artist-in-Residence, Onassis Foundation, Athens, Greece
National Dance Project Production Grant, [siccer]
United States Artists Fellowship
National Performance Network Development Fund Award, [siccer]
2019–2020
Mary Mackall Gwinn Hodder Fellow, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Artist-in-Residence, Movement Research, New York, NY
2019
Artist-in-Residence, Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, Tallahassee, FL
Artist-in-Residence, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
Artist-in-Residence, The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Artist-in-Residency, Gibney Dance Center, New York, NY
National Performance Network Creation Fund Award, [siccer]
2018
Artist-in-Residence, Stephen Petronio Residency Center, Roundtop, NY
Artist-in-Residence, Issue Project Room, Brooklyn, NY
Inaugural Sam Miller Award for Performing Arts Award, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
MAP Fund Award, [siccer]
2017
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship
NY Dance and Performance Award (‘Bessie’ Award), Outstanding Emerging Choreographer
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency, Captiva Island, FL
2016
Casinos Austria Prix Jardin d’Europe Award , ImPulsTanz, Vienna, Austria
Artist-in-Residence, Pieter, Los Angeles, CA
2015
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Award
2015–2017
Extended Life Choreographer’s Residency, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, NY
2013
MacDowell Colony Fellowship
2010
Artist-in-Residence, Mount Tremper Arts, Mount Tremper, NY
2009
Artist-in-Residence, Dance Theater Workshop, New York, NY
2008
ImPulsTanz, danceWEB Fellowship, Vienna, Austria
2000
Class Speaker, Williams College Commencement Exercises, Williamstown, MA
Hubbard Hutchinson Memorial Fellowship, Williams College
TEACHING / LECTURES
2021
University of California Regents Professor, Dept. of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
2020
Presentation, Within Practice, Stockholm, Sweden
Lecture: “Stopping Dancing: Animation and The Disnegatif”, The Black Embodiments Studio and Workshop, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Keynote Speaker: “Stopping Dancing: Animation and The Disnegatif”, Collegium for African Diaspora Dance, Duke University, Durham, NC
2019
Workshop and Performance: “Cursor”, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Research and Practice Intensive: “Disnegatif: Undoing Foucault’s Dispositif”, ImPulsTanz, Vienna, Austria
Seminar, MFA Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Lecture: “Cursor”, Carpenter Center for Visual Arts, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Graduate Seminar on Choreography, Dept. Of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Presentation and Workshop, Dept. of Dance, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
Presentation, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
2018
Lecture: “New York, HIV/AIDS, Then & Now”, Dept. of Performance Studies, New York University,New York, NY
MFA Thesis Advisor and Lecture: “Cursor”, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR
Lecture: “Cursor”, The University of Dance and Circus, Stockholm, Sweden
2017
Performance Workshop, Dept. of Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Lecture: “Undoing Bodies Moved By Language”, Arts Research Center, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
MFA Studio Visits and Lecture, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
2016
Arthur J. Levitt Artist-in-Residence, Dept. of Dance, Williams College, Williamstown, MA
2015–2016
Mellon Foundation Creative Campus Fellow, Dept. of Dance, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
2014
Workshop, Dept. of Dance, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
2013
Workshop and Presentation, Dept. of Dance, Williams College, Williamstown, MA
Seminar and Practicum: “Theories of Performance”, Tanzquartier Wien , Vienna, Austria
2012
Seminar on Contemporary Choreography, Dept. of Theater, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO
2011
Contemporary Dance Technique, Dept. of Dance, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY Senior Thesis Mentor, Colorado College Independent Study Program in New York, NY
2010
Adjunct Professor/Resident Choreographer, Dept. of Dance, Barnard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Rawls, Will & Lax, Thomas, “Essayons.” In Brooklyn Rail Nov. 2020, Edited by Ralph Lemon. New York, NY, 2020.
Rawls, Will, “Disnegatif.” In Historias de Dança. Edited by Julia Bryan-Wilson and Olivia Ardui. São Paolo, Brasil: Museu de Arte de São Paolo, 2020.
Rawls, Will, “Broomstick.” In This Is Not A Gun, edited by Cara Levine and Vivian Sming. Chicago, IL: Candor Press, 2020.
Rawls, Will. "Contra Bougie Semio." In Who Is Surfing Who?: Adam Linder, edited by Aram Moshayedi. Los Angeles, CA: Hammer Museum, 2018.
Rawls, Will. "Uncle Rebus Poems." In Dancing While Black Journal No. 1. Edited by Nia Austin-Edwards. Website, 2018.
Rawls, Will. "Our Ghosts in the Room: Intersections of Race and Dance Archives in the Age of AIDS." In Bodies of Evidence: Ethics, Aesthetics and Politics of Movement. Edited by Gurur Erten and Sandra Noeth. Vienna, Austria: Passagen Verlag, 2018.
Rawls, Will. "1000 Words." Edited by Mira Dayal. Artforum, October 2018.
Rawls, Will. "To Do You." Edited by Kemi Adeyemi. New York, NY: Recess Gallery, 2017.
Rawls, Will. “I set out in the morning.” RALPH LEMON. Edited by David Velasco. New York, NY: Museum of Modern Art, 2016.
Rawls, Will. "Artists and Identity." Edited by Annie Godfrey-Larmon. Artforum, 2016.
Rawls, Will, Ishmael Houston-Jones, and Jaime Shearn Coan, eds. Lost and Found: Dance, New York, HIV/AIDS, Then and Now. New York, NY: Danspace Project, 2016.
Rawls, Will. "Neighbours, in the Plural." In German Dance Platform. Edited by Sandra Noeth. Berlin, Germany: Goethe Institut, 2016.
Rawls, Will. "Dog Years." In Triple Canopy. Edited by Lizzie Feidelson. New York, NY: Triple Canopy, 2015.
Rawls, Will. "My Lunch with Will." Edited by Noémie Solomon. DANSE: A Catalog, Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Paris, France: les presses du reel, 2015.
Rawls, Will. "Glenn Lowry with Will Rawls in Conversation." In On Value. Edited by Lizzie Feidelson. New York, NY: Museum of Modern Art, Triple Canopy, 2015.
Rawls, Will, and Biba Bell, eds. "THE FRED HERKO DIALOGUES." Critical Correspondence, New York, NY: Movement Research, 2015.
Rawls, Will, and Biba Bell, eds. "THE POST DANCE DIALOGUES" Critical Correspondence, New York, NY: Movement Research, 2015.
Rawls, Will. "Leap of Fake: On Dancing and Doubting." In Scores No. 4: On Addressing. Edited by Sandra Noeth. Vienna, Austria: Tanzquartier Wien, 2014.
Rawls, Will, and Abigail Levine, eds. "Interview with Noémie Solomon." In Critical Correspondence. New York, NY: Movement Research, 2014.
Rawls, Will, and Abigail Levine, eds. "Interview with Ligia Lewis." In Critical Correspondence, New York, NY: Movement Research, 2014.