Arts Professional Story: Joyce Owens, Curator and Artist

Joyce Owens, detail of Woman in Jumper from "Out of the Box" series, 2007

Flexibility has turned out to be one of the most important attributes I possess. Seeing multiple sides of issues is tough when it comes to making decisions, and sometimes when it comes to making art, but I have learned to appreciate my ability to see many possibilities at once and having an open mind.

My flexible nature allowed me to switch from working towards a degree in education to a degree in painting, once I was assured that an M.F.A. in painting could also bring me an income. After I had earned that degree, I learned that I had to leave a job in New Haven and return to Philadelphia when my mother had a car accident. My open mind propelled me to work at the CBS television station; I just needed a job, any job, once she had recovered, I could get my life going. A friend told me about a position at WCAU, so I applied for a job as a television producer, a job I knew nothing about. The woman who hired me, and I, thought I could figure out how to produce a television show and being open-minded, I agreed.

Maybe it is just my personality, but I rarely say "no." If something interesting comes along I will explore the possibilities. I can’t resist. What I have gathered over time is that some experiences that seem antithetical to my goals are sometimes useful later on. Television work in Philadelphia, and later in Chicago at CBS2 News, gave me an understanding of TV journalism and increased my contacts outside of the art world.

I started curating accidentally. The opportunity presented itself and I took a chance. Part of my interest was essentially my desire to express my vision—having experienced some dissatisfaction for some others'. The challenge is to imagine an exhibition theme and how the artists involved may respond, how I can put the works together within a space, and what the impact of the work will have on the artists and the viewing public. Putting together an exhibition is the same as putting together a painting. All the elements come into play, including space, color, texture, perspective, value and so on. The configuration of the installed works expands on the story of the theme or goals for the exhibition. I prefer themes that address objective goals; the artists will bring the subjective interpretations. Some artists are intimidated by thematic shows, but with some explanation and convincing, most people get comfortable with participating.

Each curator is different. Each performs different tasks. For example, I have almost sole responsibility for The President's gallery at Chicago State University. I bear the responsibility for most tasks, except designing the cards (which I consult on and provide copy for) and preparing the food for the receptions. A partial list of what I do includes writing press releases, submitting exhibition information to various outlets, including the press off and on campus, prepping the gallery, hanging the work, and arranging the gallery talks, panels, and receptions, and of course, securing the artists and detailing themes for exhibitions. I also teach painting and drawing (my favorite things to do), I curate outside of the university, I am a working artist, I sit on panels, I jury shows, I consult with various groups...and I recently started blogging about art issues.

As a mostly one-person operation at my university, I am challenged to bring or develop various skills. My flexibility works great for this job. I have curated a number of successful exhibitions at Chicago State. I have increased the profile of the gallery through my involvement with various people and organizations in the city. I try to maintain flexibility to accommodate artists’ needs. I am a typical artist, interested in my work, sometimes sidetracked by a beautiful scene or a pressing idea I want to visually articulate, but I have worked hard since high school to develop my left brain, too. Being as organized as possible really helps, especially working with lots of different types of people.

The Presidents Gallery at Chicago State University is an educational tool for our students and is not a commercial space, but I insist that works on view can be acquired if someone is interested and I have happily helped artists’ get works into various collections. I strive to bring people within the university and outside of it to experience the works on loan to us. I appreciate providing an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to be exposed to visual art to and learn about artists they would not see otherwise. The more I do, the more I know, the more I have to think about and the more I feed my practice. Interacting with artists, students, faculty, carpenters, printers, photographers, secretaries, presidents etc. is good for me, too.

Curating, like most experiences I have had, contributes to my artistic identity. Seeing work by other living art contemporaries at close range, compared to seeing work at that slight distance in a museum or fleetingly in gallery exhibitions elsewhere, makes me more confident about what I do. I find I learn from lots of people including my students!

Joyce Owens earned her B.F.A. degree from Howard University in Wash., D.C. and Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree in Painting from Yale University. Owens has held many arts related positions from arts and crafts director Graphic Arts Coordinator at CBS2 Chicago. Professor Joyce Owens (Anderson) teaches studio painting and drawing at Chicago State University. She was appointed the curator of the university galleries starting in January, 2006. Awarded a Ragdale fellowship in July 2008, Owens has also been selected to exhibit her work in the American Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia. During 2008 Owens' works have been included in two solo exhibitions: at Elmhurst College's Frick Center and the H.F. Johnson Gallery at Carthage College in Wisconsin. She has been the curator of a series of successful exhibitions in galleries in the Chicago area.