:sharpen(level=0):output(format=jpeg)/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/JRCphoto.jpg "Joanne Cohen")
Joanne Cohen has been involved in the arts for 35 years as an arts advocate, curator, collector and advisor. Joanne is the principal of JRC Art Advisory, a specialized from focused on private, corporate and non-profit collections.
She joined Museum Exchange in April 2021 after 14 years as the Executive Director and Curator of the Cleveland Clinic Art Program, which she established in 2006 and built into what is now widely regarded as the preeminent art collection in the healthcare industry. During her tenure there she was also responsible for numerous significant donations of art and oversaw the successful sale of art totaling $68 million at Christies, NY in 2017 benefitting Cleveland Clinic’s Heart & Vascular Institute. In 2010 Joanne and the Cleveland Clinic Art Program were awarded the prestigious Martha Joseph Award for distinguished service in the arts from the Cleveland Arts Prize. Previously, she served as Curator for Progressive Insurance. Joanne has been interviewed in the media and featured in numerous publications including Artnet.com, Artnews.com, Artsy, Financial Times, New Yorker.com, Healthcare Design and Wall Street Journal. She is a longtime member of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA) and serves as a board member of various non-profits including moCa Cleveland. Joanne received a BA in Art History from University of Vermont.
Get to Know Me
How did you begin your career in the art world?
I had the good fortune as a student in London to intern at the ICA, London. I worked in the curator's office and was afforded the opportunity to meet internationally recognized artists and gain insight and access into curatorial endeavors. Artists who had exhibitions during that time included: Barbara Kruger, Robert Longo and Jean Michel Basquiat. That experience left an indelible mark on my understanding of the artistic process and inspired me to pursue a career in the arts.
If you could have dinner with 3 artists from the past- who would they be?
I would dine with Philip Guston, Gego and Hilma af Klint. I have so many unanswered questions.
Do you have a routine when visiting a museum/gallery?
Stop. Slow down. Be present. Look. Look again. Read. Put away my phone except for using the camera to capture lasting memories of the art. Rinse and repeat.