Creating A Sustainable and Inclusive Art World with Curator Marcelle Joseph

Ceri is joined by Marcelle Joseph, an American independent curator and collector based in the UK whose collection champions female identifying and queer artists. Marcelle talks about her journey from corporate lawyer to art world innovator, revealing how early influences in material culture shaped her curatorial vision. With over 50 exhibitions curated since 2011, she discusses her feminist focused collection and her GIRLPOWER residency in France and gives advice for emerging artists. KEY TAKEAWAYS Marcelle's journey into art began with material culture influences from her grandmother's textile work and her father's entrepreneurial spirit. This now manifests in her current collecting of ceramics and textiles from female identifying and non binary artists. After leaving a successful corporate law career, Marcelle reinvented herself through a degree at Christie's Education and founded Marcelle Joseph Projects in 2011, eventually curating over 50 exhibitions that explore feminist theory and the performativity of gender. Studio visits are crucial exchanges where Marcelle connects with artists' influences and processes. She recommends artists prepare thoughtfully, demonstrating their practice range and sharing their theoretical inspirations. For new artists looking for opportunities, Marcelle advises maintaining a professional Instagram and comprehensive website showcasing at least five years of work, being selective with networking events as well as persistently applying for residencies and grants. Marcelle established a unique 50/50 collecting partnership with Kimberly Morris called the GIRLPOWER Collection, which expanded into a residency program in France that offers stipends, materials budgets and exhibition opportunities to three artists annually. The contemporary art market faces serious challenges, particularly for small to mid size galleries. Marcelle highlights Hauser & Wirth's model of offering small galleries a commission when signing their artists as a potential sustainability solution. Institutional governance work has been central to Marcelle's impact, including a former trustee at Matt's Gallery, Ambassador for the Royal Academy Schools, and Vice Chair at Mimosa House, which she values for championing marginalised voices. Marcelle's dream retirement project is to create a foundation in her hometown in upstate New York to introduce contemporary art to young people while offering artist residencies, giving back to the community that shaped her. BEST MOMENTS "I've adopted a lot of my father's mentality in my own career journey about deciding that I want to do something that's really brave and sort of outside of my comfort zone and just attacking it and making it happen." "I'm all about platforming those artists who have been marginalised or written out of the traditional Western art canon by the patriarchy." "I like supporting early career artists because it’s the most pivotal part of their career in my opinion. If they can’t get past being an early career artist, they’re not going to be an artist." "I often call my collection a collection of conversations, because almost all of the artwork is by artists that I know, that I've worked with, written about, done a studio visit with." "Don't be afraid to approach your heroes. What's the worst thing that can possibly happen? They turn around and walk away, right?" "I know websites are going out of fashion, but I find them so incredibly important to do my initial research on artists. A holding page is not enough. I like to see at least five years of their work." "Curating is all about caring for the artwork, but it's also about caring for the artist. That's really important to me." "Life is short so you shouldn't let any opportunity go by." EPISODE RESOURCES https://marcellejoseph.com @marcelle.joseph PODCAST HOST BIO With over 30 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. 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