Melissa Joseph, a Brooklyn-based artist who uses felt techniques to create intimate portraits, was awarded the UOVO Award from the Brooklyn Museum. The award includes a solo exhibition at the museum, a large public mural commission, and an unrestricted cash grant of $25,000. The award follows Joseph’s selection into The Artsy Vanguard 2025.
The UOVO Awards, supported by UOVO, a company specializing in the storage of valuable collectibles, promote the work of Brooklyn-based artists. Previous winners include filmmaker Suneil Sanzgiri 2023 and Artsy Vanguard 2022 alumnus Oscar yi Hou.
As part of the award, Joseph will create a 50 x 50 foot mural on the facade of the UOVO facility in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and an installation in the Brooklyn Museum’s Iris Cantor Plaza. Both pieces will reference the intricate design of Siena Cathedral in Italy and are scheduled to be unveiled in June 2025.
“For this project, I chose to reference the incredible floors of Siena Cathedral and think about how public art has functioned throughout history,” Joseph said in a press statement. “While the process and purpose of creating public art have expanded and accelerated, the potential for profound human connection remains, and that’s what excites and inspires me most about this project.”
A team of Brooklyn Museum curators selected Joseph from among the artists featured in “Brooklyn Artists Showcase,” a major group show of local artists celebrating the museum’s 200th anniversary. Joseph’s contribution to the exhibition is on view until January 26, 2025. oliver’s hair salon (2023), a felt portrait of her brother and young niece. Last year, the museum acquired her work Get Ruben’s tutoring book (2023).
Last year, Joseph’s work was featured in many prestigious exhibitions and fairs. In November 2023, she held a solo exhibition at Margot Sammer in New York. In June this year, the gallery displayed Joseph’s work in its solo booth at the Liste art fair in Basel. Earlier this month at Art Basel in Miami Beach, New York gallery Charles Moffett hosted a dual exhibition starring Joseph and Kim Dacres, which was selected as one of Artsy’s top ten booths at the show.
