Department of Interdisciplinary Studies

Rachel Trusty began working at Appalachian State University in 2026 as a Teaching Assistant Professor of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. Her research, artistic practice, and teaching center queer history and material culture, along with the feminist and LGBT+ political movements in the United States and their corresponding art and visual culture.

Rachel previously served as Gallery Director for the Baum Gallery of Art at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR. She was also previously a Visiting Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. She has over 20 years of combined teaching experience at the collegiate and high school levels. Rachel holds a Ph.D. in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS, an M.F.A. in Studio Art from Lesley College in Boston, MA, and a B.A. in Art Education and Sculpture from the University of Central Arkansas.

Rachel has published articles on art and gender studies topics in publications such as Curator: The Museum Journal, the Queer Pasts Project, FWD: Museums Journal, and the International Journal of Social, Political, and Community Agendas in the Arts. She is currently working on her first book project, a photography book and biography of the Ozarkian photographer Bruce Seaton.

In addition to her scholarly research, Rachel is a mixed-media artist. She has exhibited her work nationally at venues including the Women Made Gallery in Chicago, IL, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art in Little Rock, AR, and the Greenville Museum of Art in Greenville, NC. She loves curating and organizing community art events and exhibitions.

Rachel has taught a wide range of courses in gender studies, art, and art history throughout her career. They include Queer Studies, Feminist Research Methods, History of Sexuality, and Feminist and LGBT+ Art History. She loves mentoring students and helping them to make connections across a wide variety of fields.

Rachel currently has two majestic chihuahuas, Dottie and Emmy.