Meet Joseph Staley of Glade Arts Foundation in The Woodlands

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Staley.

Please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, a fraternal twin, and the son of two native Texans, art became a natural part of my life, with Forth Worth boasting three world-class museums. I have always loved history and the power of storytelling. A lifelong fan of design and architecture, my childhood room still features intricate displays of detailed architectural drawings and prints. With this love of all things humanities, and my ability to get lost in a story, eventually studying art history and pursuing it as a career made sense.

In my senior year of high school, I was fortunate enough to take AP Art History from the single greatest teacher I’ve ever had, Michael Stratton; Studious and driven, he was the first teacher to arrive each morning, huddled over his desk preparing intricate lectures. His enthusiasm and seemingly infinite knowledge base were literally contagious. And after taking the AP Exam and achieving the highest marks possible, I chose to pursue a BA in Art History with an accompanying Minor in History from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, a school and city that forever altered the course of my life.

The University of Oklahoma and more particularly, its School of Visual Arts and Art History, offers a diverse curriculum, specialized in a way that few institutions can match. It offers an equally rigorous European (Western) view of art history, as well as views of the Non-Western canon, including a full-scope exposure to the interworkings of Native American Art, Meso-American, and Pre-Columbian Art.

During these years, exposure to all facets of art history, including a Formalist approach to the subject, with a heavy emphasis on the formal elements of art including, form, shape, color, line, pattern, texture, etc., lead me to develop my “Five C’s of Curating” approach, applicable to curating exhibitions. I curate exhibits based on chromatic (color-scheme), compositional, chronological, contextual, and conceptual elements. In my view, the road to creating a great exhibit is curated based on those principles.

And after graduating from college, a combination of appropriate timing and my art historical experience, lead me to meet Dragos Tapu of Glade Gallery, who recruited me to curate his Gallery as well as his forthcoming museum space, The Glade Arts Foundation. Given the nature of my job, with little to no institutional framework or limitations, leaves me free to be simultaneously creative and hopefully, innovative.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My rocky road includes learning to think like an artist, learning to simultaneously and consciously engage both hemispheres of the brain. In an art historical sense, it’s combining Neo-Classical and Romanticist philosophies: rationality and order on one end and intuition and emotionality on the other. Learning to let loose and take risks but adhere to a specific schedule and methodology.

I also think this question depends on how you define personal success. How do you avoid struggles? Heighten your personal resolve and maintain a work ethic to achieve some idea of personal success. Achieving and adhering to your own personal ideal of success helps to combat the side-effects of the rocky road; In my view, external problems don’t become less malicious over time, but your ability to deal with them strengthens. And defining (personal) success is tricky; It means so many different things to so many different people. To me, success is staying true to your core values and never deviating from them.

For example, in my life, success in small doses is important. Objective, measurable, and incremental improvement is my daily goal, simultaneously understanding my own personal limits and accepting responsibility for manageable improvement, in all aspects of my life.

More specifically though, from a curatorial standpoint, defining success specifically and personally differs from curator to curator, and my view is simple: prioritize, in addition to other aspects of your art collection, local, regional art. In my view, this fosters an unparalleled understanding of form, function, content, and context regarding a work of art. Close and accessible artists, in collaboration with curators, craft meaningful and impactful narratives that build upon an artwork’s interpretation.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Glade Arts Foundation – what should we know?
I’m the Executive Curator for the Glade Arts Foundation and Glade Gallery, The Woodlands’ first and foremost Fine Art Gallery and Fine Arts Museum. It boasts equally impressive artists in both spheres: The Museum features a permanent collection of an artist seminal to the city of Houston and a Texas original, David Adickes, with a Gallery presence including artists like the world-renowned Iraqi artist, Natiq al Alousi, and extending to the masters, with works ranging from Salvador Dali to Pablo Picasso.

I organize all of Glade’s exhibits, including arranging our current collection and acquiring new and unique artists to add to our already extensive portfolio. I also organize and plan, with the help of our wonderful Director of Education, Cynthia Reid, all of our museum tours, recently including HPE’s corporate staff as well as the members of the prestigious Museum of Fine Arts Houston’s Guild. Additionally, I write and conceive of Exhibition Catalogues, including analyzing and interpreting artwork. And finally, I conduct an educational series both at The Woodlands Country Club as well as The Glade, concerning the theme of Modernism, whether through a European or American filter.

At Glade, we are known for combining two seemingly separate hemispheres under one roof, breathing life back into the old masters by displaying their work and expanding their context with an informative and stimulating video series, “Conversations with the Curator”, as well as offering fresh and accessible perspectives and contexts by featuring local artists.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
So many people. First and foremost, my loving and inspiring parents. My ultimate cheerleaders, they accepted and even embraced my liberal arts education and understood how I prioritize my strengths.

I’d also like to thank all of the wonderful educators throughout my life, who expanded and tested my limits and pushed me to do things I never thought I was capable of.

In closing, I’d like to thank my tremendously supportive co-workers at Glade, included as my faithful mentors, Dragos Tapu, Lisa Harra, and Cynthia Reid. Life is about admitting you don’t have all the answers and collaborating as much as possible with people who strengthen you and support you, iron that sharpens iron.

Pricing:

• Lecture, Educational Series: $50 per hour.
• Write-Up or Critique Regarding Artwork: $.50 a word.
• Personal Art Market Strategist: $100 per month.

Contact Info:

• Address: Glade Arts Foundation, 2000 Woodlands Parkway, The Woodlands, TX, 77380
• Website: gladeartsfoundation.org; gladegallery.com
• Phone: Personal: 8323346677; Glade: 8325578781
• Email: joseph@gladeartsfoundation.org

Image Credit:
JDHallett Photography, Wen He.

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