Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Cohen.
Hi Rachel , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a lifelong artist and community builder. I grew up in San Diego and created in as many mediums available from painting, collage, photography, metal work, to name a few, and grew up prioritizing singing and drumming. I studied Visual and Performing Arts in undergraduate, performing musical theater, Shakespeare, and Moliere and while also singing in rock, jazz, and funk bands. After graduation I ventured to Austin, the music capital, and I worked in marketing before I got a job teaching art full time in all mediums-visual and performing arts to adults with disabilities for a local nonprofit. While working there I released a solo album, performed locally including (unofficial) three years of SXSW and I began writing grants to the city of Austin to create inclusion programming in my new found medium, community. The vision, community art pieces created in collaborative workshops followed by exhibition and performances for disabled and non disabled participants. I applied to Texas State to get my Master’s in Therapeutic Recreation and was accepted on a merit fellowship. I continued to create inclusion programming with city support, providing virtual art making and performance programming for two years through COVID, delivering hand assembled supply kits out of my apartment, all while launching my career as a recreation therapist. Over the past six years I have worked as a recreation therapist with individuals, couples, groups, and children, with and without disabilities, veterans and their families. Recreation therapists work with clients to utilize their interests to promote positive health outcomes, increased self-expression, and quality of life. In a desire to create space for my own art, expand my inclusion programming offerings, and provide a space for creative interventions for my clients, I established an art studio, naming it UNBOREDROOM, inspired by its location in an old office building and the walls’ wood paneling.
The studio became an instant hit, and after launching on social media, I filled the nonprofit paperwork as a birthday present to myself. At the time, I was doing therapeutic DJing with a client and wanted to host a party for them to be showcased. With the help of the community, Inclusion Prom was born, a silent disco showcase of DJs with and without disabilities. The event prioritizes disability accommodations like certified ASL interpreters, braille signage, single floor ADA venue, sensory chill lounge, and more, while showcasing top local talent from the disability community. We incorporate interactive collaborative art making experiences that are evidence based to increase feelings of positivity and social connectedness. We create low, medium and high energy spaces, adaptive activations like our sensory sensitive glam station, classics like photobooths and giveaways, and surprises like a sports car to draw on or an ice cream truck happy hour. Everyone gets their own silent disco headphones to control the volume of the party to their preference with multiple music channels to pick from. It is a party anyone would want to go to, but we make sure that everyone truly can attend. When guests walk into Inclusion Prom, they know exactly what UNBOREDROOM is. For one night guests live inside a vision, exhaling while experiencing a space that strives to know, understand, and delight them, that anticipates and responds to needs instead making them an afterthought. Now we’ve hosted two years of Inclusion Prom, Friendsgiving, Pal-entine’s Day, Adaptive Kayaking, exhibited our collaborative works in community exhibitions, and moved our studio to Canopy, an artists’ hub that allows us to display new works and connect with our community the first Saturday of every month from 1-4pm.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The world has changed a lot since we received our nonprofit status in May of 2024, even more so since I began doing inclusion programming in 2019. Funding, both grants and donorship, have changed so much so fast, and we are in need of support more than ever. Our mission has never been so important and we feel honored to create a space where people can put their energy towards helping others and building a more inclusive world. It is becoming more clear that retrofitting old structures may not be the path. We believe it is the role of artists and creatives to envision and build a more inclusive world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m a master’s level recreation therapist, which is an evidence-based health practice originally developed by the VA to support their rehabilitation and treatment programs. This makes our perspective and organization unique. All our programs are evidence based for targeted outcomes.
Unboredroom is my social prescription to the Austin community to increase empathy and reduce the effects of the loneliness epidemic. We acknowledge our shared proximity to disability as a core truth that connects every living thing. The benefits of reducing segregation ripple in both directions. Disabled and non-disabled participants both become more connected to their communities, more open, and more self-accepting.
Our history of collaborative art making workshops, exhibitions, and performances has evolved into full scale community events, thanks to the interest of and support from our community. Our events aim to please and I encourage you to sign up to our email list so you never have to miss another! Our events are incredibly fun and will improve your mental health, feelings of connectedness, and empathy. Full stop. If that sounds beneficial to you, let’s be friends.
We’re proud that our organization has an organic community of disabled and non disabled artists and individuals. We’re glad the message, branding, and events resonate with so many.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite memories always included art, music and family. I remember always acting out plays and songs with cousins and friends, sprinkling pinches of artificial sweetener while reenacting Charlie and the chocolate factory. I remember dancing while my dad played bass in a blues band at local venues. My family would gather around my mom playing piano, all of us playing music with my parents and siblings at home.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://unboredroom.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unboredroom/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559124938447
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@unboredroom
Image Credits
I have to look these up but would like to submit the rest now, please email rachel@unboredroom.org, thanks!
