CFC Members Spotlight: Erin Joyce

CFC Members Spotlight is a bi-monthly interview series showcasing the work of our members on our blog and social media. Through this feature, we highlight the diverse curatorial practices in our community and encourage new connections and exchange.

 

Meet CFC Member Erin Joyce

 

Erin Joyce is a writer and curator of contemporary art and has organized over 35 exhibitions across the US. She was a winner of the 2023 Rabkin Prize for arts journalism from The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation and has received attention for her work in Vogue Magazine, the New York Times, the Art Newspaper, Forbes Magazine, the Economist, the Chicago Tribune, Hyperallergic, and Widewalls. She is currently faculty in the School of Art at Arizona State University and the Vice President of Public Affairs for the Native Arts + Cultures Foundation. Joyce lives and works in Phoenix, Arizona.

We recently interviewed Erin Joyce to learn more about her curatorial journey, inspirations, and insights into the art world.

CFC: What inspired you to pursue a career as a curator? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked your interest?

EJ: Initially thinking I would pursue a PhD in Art History and work as a university professor – I realized after my BA that I wanted to be more hands-on. More engaged in the process and more present in the discourse. I grew up in a family of creatives – so art was always around me – I always knew I would be part of it and it be part of me life long.

CFC: What thread or idea ties your work together?

EJ: My work hinges on questioning existing structures and strictures of power, interrogating the extractive qualities of museums and the meta art world, and decolonizing spaces.

CFC: Name a project or exhibition that holds special significance for you. What made it stand out?

EJ: One of the projects I have worked on that has been significant to me was a show I curated called “My County Tis of They People, You’re Dying” at Radiator Gallery in New York. The small group show featured Indigenous artists working across various mediums including photography, installation, video, and photography – addressing issues around climate catastrophe, environmental racism, Indigenous land-rights and land sovereignty. The show – while small in scale and budget, had a tremendous impact on me, the artists, and I would like to think – discourse on the topics addressed above. It was listed as one of the top 20 shows in the City of New York for 20217 by Hyperallergic.

 

CFC: What’s your favorite part about being a curator? And, if you don’t mind sharing, what’s the most challenging?

EJ: Working with artists directly – collaborating with them – and interpreting their art for an audience. It is such an incredible privilege to be able to do this work – and a great responsibility.

CFC: Any hot takes on the current state of the curatorial field or the art world? What do we need more or less of?

EJ: We need more artists working on the fringes to be supported and a divorce from curatorial being hand-in-hand with the art market and its capitalistic trappings.

CFC: What advice would you give aspiring curators starting their careers?

EJ: Be radical and fearless and question everything. All of the armatures of power around us are constructed – how can we dismantle them and rebuild?

 

Explore more of Erin Joyce’s work on her website.

 

Are you interested in learning more about our CFC membership? Dive into how to become a CFC member here.