About Rahne

Baltimore City

Rahne Alexander is an intermedia artist and writer from Baltimore, Maryland. She is a 2021 graduate of the Intermedia+Digital Arts MFA at UMBC, and a 2021 Baker Artist Prize Awardee. Her works in video, performance, music, and painting have been exhibited across the U.S. and around the world, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, Tephra Institute of Contemporary… more

Other Performances & Readings

I performed numerous other times this year, performing scroll readings, original music, and even a live reading of the Poe story "Ms. Found In A Bottle."

  • Spellbinder Salon (The Crown, January): original music
  • An Evening of Tom Petty (Zissimo's, February): cover music performed with Dominique Diglio and Christina Reitemeyer
  • CityLit Panel: Queer Possibility: writing catastrophe and imagining what comes next, with Tonee Moll, Unique Robinson, Megan Milks, and Imani Spence (Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, March): Panel discussion and new original scroll reading performance
  • Trans [Re]incarnation release party, with E. Kerr and Sylvia Jones (The Crown, April): Reading recently published works and an original scroll reading performance
  • Waverly Writers Salon (Peabody Heights, April): Curated a panel of Waverly Writers for the new Waverly Book Festival and reading recently published works and an original scroll reading performance
  • The Hopkins Review Walking Folio launch (The Ivy Bookshop, May): Reading from my new essay in the Hopkins Review
  • Doomsday 2023 (Greedy Reads Fells Point, May): Live and streaming reading of Poe's "MS. Found in a Bottle" as part of a 24-hour Poe reading celebration hosted by Greedy Reads and the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre
  • 50'♀, with Home Body, Manners Manners and Glorian (The Crown, June): Original music 
  • Charm City Kitty Club (Theater Project, July): Original music and a new original scroll reading performance in two-night celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Charm City Kitty Club
  • Tarot performance (Atomic Books, August): Tarot readings in honor of Eamon Espey's new tarot deck, Second Sight

 

  • Performing music at the Charm City Kitty Club
    Performing music at the Charm City Kitty Club
  • Performing at the Spellbinder's Salon at the Crown
    Performing at the Spellbinder's Salon at the Crown
  • City Lit panel postcard
    City Lit panel postcard
  • Waverly Writers Salon postcard
    Waverly Writers Salon postcard
  • Postcard for the 2023 Charm City Kitty Club
    Postcard for the 2023 Charm City Kitty Club
  • Doomsday 2023 postcard
    Doomsday 2023 postcard
  • Hopkins Review launch party postcard
    Hopkins Review launch party postcard
  • Trans [Re]Incarnation postcard
    Trans [Re]Incarnation postcard

Sick Transit

I completed my MFA in Intermedia + Digital Arts at UMBC in 2021. My thesis project, Sick Transit, a tripartite intermedia piece about medicine, mobility, and art-making within a mother/daughter relationship defined by multiple sclerosis and transsexuality.

Sick Transit is an 
exemplativist femmage, comprising a series of autobiographical monologic performances meditating on mobility, maternity, gender, feminism, and systems of healthcare in the relationship between two artists: the transsexual daughter of a devout Mormon who lived with multiple sclerosis for more than 30 years. 

The titular video performance is featured in Let’s Exchange, a streaming telethonic variety/talk show hosted by the artist  interviewing more than two dozen Baltimore artists, and framed by Control Room, an installation replicating the artist’s pandemic studio. A supplementary internet radio show, featuring a playlist of related music, was featured on Carrie Fucile's Owls At Noon internet radio channel. 

For the hardy, my MFA thesis defense was broadcast (and archived!) on Facebook Live. 
 

  • Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    A detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
  • Sick Transit monologue still
    Sick Transit monologue still
    A still from Sick Transit: monologue, the performance component of my MFA Thesis show, UMBC, Spring 2021.
  • Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    A detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
  • Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    A detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
  • Sick Transit: Let's Exchange still
    Sick Transit: Let's Exchange still
    A still from Sick Transit: Let's Exchange, the talk show component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
  • Sick Transit: Let's Exchange still
    Sick Transit: Let's Exchange still
    A still from Sick Transit: Let's Exchange, the talk show component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
  • Sick Transit (detail)
    Sick Transit (detail)
    A collaged image of my mother's artwork, used as a detail image in Sick Transit and as the cover image for the Owls At Noon playlist. This image is a "live collage," captured from a video still in which I filmed myself holding my mother's high school literary magazine to a light source and allowing her self-portrait to be seen through the page bearing her inspirational quote.
  • Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    A detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
  • Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    A detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.
  • Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    Sick Transit: Control Room detail
    A detail from Sick Transit: Control Room, the installation component of my MFA Thesis show, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at UMBC, Spring 2021.

I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You

"I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You" opened the year continuing as part of the Mary B. Howard Invitational: An Excellent Thought About A Quality Idea exhibit at the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston, VA. This piece was exhibited twice more in 2021 -- in a solo exhibition at The Shed, and as part of Spark IV: A New World? at Maryland Art Place. 
 
"I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You" was developed for the Mary B. Howard Invitational: An Excellent Thought About A Quality Idea, curated by ‘sindikit and the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art as a reanimation of some of my oldest practices — stream-of-consciousness writing on “scrolls” (in actuality, commercial paper towels) and little mementos mori written for the artists and historical figures who had significantly moved me — with my newest: writing and painting on silk, a fabric of natural strength and transparency.
 
My first painted artwork, "I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You" is a manifesto of sorts, comprising catalyzing concepts and conclusions that have driven me as an artist, citizen, and woman. Presented across three 4’x’6’ silk scrolls, the text echoes aspects of drop cloths, battle flags, and notebooks and is intended to evoke self-doubt, erasure, reiteration, and the editorial hand. 
  • I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You at The Shed
    I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You at The Shed
    I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You on display at The Shed, Baltimore MD in April 2021
  • I Am The End of the Patriarchy and So Can You at Spark IV
    I Am The End of the Patriarchy and So Can You at Spark IV
    The center panel of I Am The End of the Patriarchy and So Can You exhibited as part of Spark IV: A New World? at Maryland Art Place, Summer 2021
  • I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You
    I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You
    I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You on display at Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, Reston VA
  • An Excellent Thought About a Quality Idea show postcard
    An Excellent Thought About a Quality Idea show postcard
    The image in this postcard promotion for An Excellent Thought About a Quality Idea uses one of my early studies for I Am the End of the Patriarchy and So Can You.

Publications

2023 
Publications in 2023 included: 
* "VFW Hall" in Flux (forthcoming in print in 2023)
* "Making Fajitas in Manasquan" in Beach Badge #1 
* "You're Never Too Old To Throw Up In A Neptune Bathroom" in Beach Badge #2
* "Twilight For Us All" in Light Ekphrastic, Feb 2022
Ongoing articles in BmoreArt, Jennifer Magazine, and UMBC Magazine

2022 
My chapbook, Heretic to Housewife, continued to sell its second pressing and provided opportunities for online literary events throughout 2021. 
 
I was invited to be on faculty at the inaugural Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference in 2021, where I presented a writing workshop entitled "Voice Exercises: Finding, Strengthening, and Refining the Writer's Voice." I also offered a reading from a cross section of my published works during the conference run. 
 
This kicked off a number of literary events throughout 2021, including a reading and artist talk as part of Urban Ivy's anniversary celebration and a panel at OutWrite entitled "LGBQT+ Writers Reading the Apocalyptic News." I was also a guest panelist at the virtual version of Barrelhouse's annual Writers Connect conference, as part of the "Cross-Genre: Stay in Your Lane(s): Writing and Publishing in Multiple Genres" panel.
 
In October I joined Eleanor Whitney and Liz Flyntz at Red Emma's for a talk about issues summoned by Whitney's new book, Riot Woman: Using Feminist Values to Destroy the Patriarchy.
 
In November, the Enoch Pratt Free Library invited me to participate in their Book Chat with Pratt online interview series. I chatted with Lo Smith, with a focus on November as Trans Awareness Month, and the conversation was broadcast and archived on YouTube and Facebook Live. 

  • Heretic to Housewife
    Heretic to Housewife
    My chapbook, Heretic to Housewife, continued to sell its second pressing and provided opportunities for online literary events throughout 2021.
  • Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital ad
    Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital ad
    I was invited to be on faculty at the inaugural Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference in 2021, where I presented a writing workshop entitled "Voice Exercises: Finding, Strengthening, and Refining the Writer's Voice." I also offered a reading from a cross section of my published works during the conference run.
  • Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital ad
    Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital ad
    I was invited to be on faculty at the inaugural Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference in 2021, where I presented a writing workshop entitled "Voice Exercises: Finding, Strengthening, and Refining the Writer's Voice." I also offered a reading from a cross section of my published works during the conference run.
  • Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital ad
    Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference digital ad
    I was invited to be on faculty at the inaugural Tulsa Glitterary Writers Conference in 2021, where I presented a writing workshop entitled "Voice Exercises: Finding, Strengthening, and Refining the Writer's Voice." I also offered a reading from a cross section of my published works during the conference run.
  • OutWrite panel: LGBQT+ Writers Reading the Apocalyptic News
    OutWrite panel: LGBQT+ Writers Reading the Apocalyptic News
    Literary events throuh 2021 included a reading and artist talk as part of Urban Ivy's anniversary celebration and a panel at OutWrite entitled "LGBQT+ Writers Reading the Apocalyptic News."
  • Barrelhouse's Writers Connect conference artwork
    Barrelhouse's Writers Connect conference artwork
    I was also a guest panelist at the virtual version of Barrelhouse's annual Writers Connect conference, as part of the "Cross-Genre: Stay in Your Lane(s): Writing and Publishing in Multiple Genres" panel.
  • Digital Ad for Riot Women event at Red Emma's
    Digital Ad for Riot Women event at Red Emma's
    In October I joined Eleanor Whitney and Liz Flyntz at Red Emma's for a talk about issues summoned by Whitney's new book, Riot Woman: Using Feminist Values to Destroy the Patriarchy.
  • Rahne & Liz Flyntz discuss Riot Women at Red Emma's
    Rahne & Liz Flyntz discuss Riot Women at Red Emma's
    In October I joined Eleanor Whitney and Liz Flyntz at Red Emma's for a talk about issues summoned by Whitney's new book, Riot Woman: Using Feminist Values to Destroy the Patriarchy. Instagram story screengrab from Michael Farley.
  • Book Chat with Pratt digital ad
    Book Chat with Pratt digital ad
    In November, the Enoch Pratt Free Library invited me to participate in their Book Chat with Pratt online interview series. I chatted with Lo Smith, with a focus on November as Trans Awareness Month, and the conversation was broadcast and archived on YouTube and Facebook Live.

In the Raw

In March I released an album of solo guitar and voice songs, 50'♀ In The Raw: Live from the Magpie Cage. 

To celebrate, I performed a single album release show with Lady Hatchet & Jeff Waters at Zissimo's

  • Performing at Zissimo's in March 2023
    Performing at Zissimo's in March 2023
  • Poster 50'♀ In The Raw release show with Lady Hatchet & Jeff Waters at Zissimo's
    Poster 50'♀ In The Raw release show with Lady Hatchet & Jeff Waters at Zissimo's

50’♀

2021 
50’♀ only performed once in 2021, a streaming show with the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Tuesday Tunes series in January. I've got some exciting plans cooking for a summer 2022 show currently in the works. 

I was honored to be named among Country Queer's roster of Trans Country Artists You Need To Know, and to cameo in the Gay Ole Opry's 10th Anniversary Special


2020
While band shows dried up during the quarantine, my solo music project 50’ received many opportunities to perform streaming gigs. In all, I was able to perform more than a dozen streaming shows after the pandemic began. Local highlights include a feature-length set at the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Tuesday Tunes series, the annual Shakemore festival, Apartscape, and Mind on Fire's Virtual Variety show. Nationally, I was able to perform for Queer Country Quarterly (New York) and Gender Unbound, an annual celebration of trans art based in Austin, TX. 

Additionally, I was invited to cover "Theia & Gaia," a song by my DC colleage Erin Frisby. My cover was released as a companion to her album release in September 2020. This recording was my first solo-produced recording since 2005. 

  • 50’♀ at Enoch Pratt Free Library's Tuesday Tunes, Jan 2021
    50’♀ at Enoch Pratt Free Library's Tuesday Tunes, Jan 2021
    50’♀ performed a streaming show with Enoch Pratt Free Library's Tuesday Tunes, Jan 2021
  • Country Queer named me among Trans Country Artists You Need To Know.png
    Country Queer named me among Trans Country Artists You Need To Know.png
    I was honored to be named among Country Queer's roster of Trans Country Artists You Need To Know.
  • Still of my performance in the Gay Ole Opry's 10th Anniversary Special
    Still of my performance in the Gay Ole Opry's 10th Anniversary Special
    I was honored to cameo in the Gay Ole Opry's 10th Anniversary Special in December 2021.
  • Theia & Gaia - Bandcamp screenshot
    Theia & Gaia - Bandcamp screenshot
    Bandcamp screenshot for my cover of Erin Frisby's "Theia & Gaia." https://erinfrisby.bandcamp.com/track/theia-and-gaia-50ft-woman

Film & Video

Passed a nice milestone in 2021 in which my supercut video work was cited in Max Tohline's A Supercut of Supercuts: Aesthetics, Histories, Databases. Subsquently, Tohline published a list of the 20 Most Underrated Supercuts of All Time, and included my 2008 piece Equal+Opposite at number 11.
 
I also guest-hosted on several episodes of the Projection Booth podcast, including discussions of WitchhammerThe Mephisto Waltz, and Just One of the Guys. The Witchhammer episode was released as a bonus feature of the 2021 DVD release of the film, as a component of Severin Film's comprehensive box set All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.
 
And, of course, two of my supercut video collages continued to be available via the BMA Screening Room. 
 
2020
Two of my video collages, "Dude Descending a Staircase #1" (2019) and "Simoom" (2009) were invited for inclusion in the BMA Screening Room, the online video platform launched by the BMA to support the work of Baltimore artists in the wake of the pandemic. 
 
"Dude Descending A Staircase #1" premiered in an exhibit during the  International Conference of Chinese Computer Human Interaction, Xiamen, China in June 2019, and was created in direct response to the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Bret Kavanaugh in 2018. "Simoom, "which premiered at the BMA in 2009, is an interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe's first story, "MS. Found In A Bottle," and was commissioned by the 48 Hour Film Festival for their celebration of Poe's anniversary in 2009. 
 
In the days immediately prior to the quarantine shutdown, I was honored to show work in a two-person retrospective (along with Kristen Anchor) in the Microcinema series curated by Stephanie Barber at Rhizome DC
 

  • Equal+Opposite (2008) as the 11th most Underrated Supercut of All Time
    Equal+Opposite (2008) as the 11th most Underrated Supercut of All Time
    Equal+Opposite (2008) as the 11th most Underrated Supercut of All Time
  • My commentary on WITCHHAMMER appears on Severin Film's comprehensive box set All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.
    My commentary on WITCHHAMMER appears on Severin Film's comprehensive box set All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.
    In 2021, I guest-hosted on several episodes of the Projection Booth podcast, including discussions of Witchhammer, The Mephisto Waltz, and Just One of the Guys. The Witchhammer episode was released as a bonus feature of the 2021 DVD release of the film, as a component of Severin Film's comprehensive box set All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.
  • Promotion for Rhizome DC Microcinema
    Promotion for Rhizome DC Microcinema
  • BMA Screening Room login screen
    BMA Screening Room login screen