Rachel Zimmerman
Founder, Visionary, and Executive Director of InLiquid
Rachel’s vision of quality, accessible, and unified arts programming is the driving force of InLiquid.
“InLiquid was motivated by a need for a collaborative structure that could connect working artists to galleries, to collectors, and to community.”
Rachel Zimmerman is the Founding Artistic and Executive Director of InLiquid, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit visual arts organization she launched more than 25 years ago to expand access, opportunity, and economic sustainability for working artists. Through a hybrid model that blends nonprofit mission with market-driven strategy, InLiquid supports more than 300 artists annually and produces over 40 exhibitions each year at its flagship gallery in the Crane Arts Building, as well as at satellite locations throughout Philadelphia.
With more than two decades of executive leadership experience, Zimmerman has built InLiquid into a nationally recognized platform for artist visibility, career development, and economic impact. Her work bridges curatorial practice, cultural strategy, and civic engagement, positioning artists as essential contributors to vibrant, globally competitive cities. Prior to founding InLiquid, Zimmerman worked across galleries, photography, design, and digital media, where she saw firsthand how limited access to exhibition space, collectors, and professional networks constrained even the most talented artists. That insight continues to shape her leadership and advocacy today.
Zimmerman is a recognized cultural leader and connector within Philadelphia’s arts ecosystem. She was named one of the region’s “Top 101 Emerging Connectors” and a Creative Connector by Leadership Philadelphia, where she is also an alumna, along with Designing Leadership. She serves on the board of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and chairs its Grants Committee, helping guide regional arts funding strategy. In addition, she serves in advisory roles for leading arts and public art organizations, including The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Da Vinci Art Alliance, and the Parkway Council Program committee. A founding co-chair of the Philadelphia Chapter of ArtTable, Zimmerman is a frequent guest speaker at leading academic and cultural institutions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, PAFA, Temple University, and Moore College of Art & Design. Her leadership has been recognized with the Connector Award from the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance in 2024, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Friends Select School in 2023, and recognition as a Dynamic Woman by Philadelphia Style.
Under Zimmerman’s leadership, InLiquid has received Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly Award for Affordable Art, The Culture Trip’s Pennsylvania Local Favorite Award, multiple Arts and Business Council Awards, and citations from both the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania commemorating its 20th and 25th anniversaries.
In addition to her executive work, Zimmerman maintains an active artistic practice as a photographer, with work held in private collections across the United States and Europe and in permanent collections including the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, Temple University, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
A West Philadelphia native, Zimmerman earned a BFA from New York University, where she studied photography, photo history, and art history. She is a working mom with a passion for live music and the outdoors, and has an extensive bucket list of places she’d like to travel.
Leader
Regarded as an industry leader for her expertise in contemporary art, Rachel has been an active participant on committees for numerous area cultural organizations, including Design Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Currently, she is on the art advisory committees of CFEVA and the Main Line Art Center, the co-chair of ArtTable, and a board member of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.
Connector
Rachel has overseen hundreds of visual arts exhibitions in a variety of gallery, corporate, retail, hospitality, and residence spaces across Philadelphia, New York City, and Miami. With each project comes an expansion of InLiquid’s network, bringing artwork by living artists to new collectors and curators, fulfilling InLiquid’s mission of expanding appreciation for our region’s working artists. InLiquid partnerships have included Sundance TV, The Kimmel Center, Commerce Square, Hyatt, URBN, Mariott, Drexel University, Park Towne Place, and more.
Collaborator
In recognition of her administrative track record and contributions to Philadelphia’s arts community over the last 25 years, Rachel was the 2024 recipient of The Collaborator Award from the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.
From her acceptance speech:
“if we want this city to be what we want it to be, we have to build it!”
From the beginning, community support has been crucial to our efforts. With 25 years (and counting) of expertise, we provide our community with dependably compelling visual arts experiences. When you support InLiquid, you support quality, accessible, and inspiring arts programming in your area.
Click here to learn more about InLiquid's mission and support our efforts.
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