J.R. Uretsky (she/they) is an artist and musician from Rhode Island who collaborates with others to create collective emotional experiences, multimedia artworks, and music performances. Their work is influenced by religious and intergenerational trauma and incorporates humor, personal narratives, and pop culture references to reinterpret trauma and explore queer joy and grief, blurring the lines between autobiography and fiction.

At the core of Uretsky’s work is a fascination with interpersonal relationships and emotions. Their sculptural forms embody a range of feelings, from despair to pleasure. Uretsky’s installations are multisensory, engaging viewers with videos, music, and meticulously crafted abstract yet familiar objects.

In their performances as J.R. and the Worship Band, Uretsky incorporates live music and video to transform trauma into shared positive experiences. By satirizing Western Evangelical worship practices and rituals, Uretsky designs affective experiences where the audience joins in singing songs about queer experiences, heartbreak, and going to therapy.

Uretsky has performed and exhibited at Art Basel in Miami, Florida, the ICA Boston, the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University, The DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, as well as the Museum of Art and Design in New York. Uretsky’s work has been published in print, online, and video journals such as Headmaster Magazine, Gaga Stigmata, Big Red & Shiny, and ASPECT: The Chronicle of New Media Art.

Uretsky has over fifteen years of experience organizing, designing, and installing exhibitions. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art at Biola University, her Master’s Degree in Fine Arts in Sculpture at the University of Connecticut, and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies at Harvard University. Uretsky worked as the curator at the New Bedford Art Museum where she exhibited Pete Souza (Chief Official White House Photographer for President Barack Obama) and Academy Award-winning (Black Panther, 2019) costume designer Ruth E. Carter.

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