Riva Lehrer

Riva Lehrer has shown in museums and galleries across the country since 1980.  Her work has focused on issues of physical identity, especially in regards to disability.  Ms. Lehrer is well-known as both an artist and an activist in the field of Disability Culture.

Ms. Lehrer’s work has been seen in venues including the Chicago Cultural Center, the United Nations, the Arnot Museum, the DeCordova Museum, the Frye Museum and the Elmhurst Museum.  She has been a visiting artist and lecturer across the US and Europe.  A 2005 documentary about her work, “Self Preservation: The Art of Riva Lehrer” by David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder has been seen at numerous film fests, winning awards and becoming included in many university curricula.

In 2009 she was awarded the Prairie Fellowship at the Ragdale Foundation, to take place in 2010, and the Critical Fierceness Grant for art.  In 2008 she won the Three Arts Foundation of Chicago grant for artistic achievement. In 2006 she won the Wynn Newhouse Award for Excellence, based in New York City.  Other awards include those from the Illinois Arts Council, the University of Illinois and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Riva Lehrer is currently curator for Cultural Programs at Access Living of Chicago, and adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.