Joan Curtis has exhibited throughout New England and in invitationals elsewhere since 1980. Her work is in many private collections and the public collections of Middlebury College Museum of Art, the University of Vermont’s Fleming Museum, and the Fuller Museum of Art (Brockton, MA). She received her education at the RI School of Design, the Chicago Art Institute, and NY University.

She works in acrylic (paintings/collages); colored pencil (drawings); and mixed-media sculpture. She is known for her papier-mache/mixed-media sculptures which involve complicated structure-building processes. "In the past, Joan has been known for papier-mache sculpture, installation and collaborative projects, and her colored pencil reliefs (e.g., the TREE HOUSE and PILGRIMAGE series).

Joan’s work, described as “visionary,” is usually figurative and often seems to tell stories. In her current collages and other work, Joan is attempting to capture imaginary make-believe worlds that stand alone. Sometimes these magical places seem safe havens, while other times they are interwoven with the uncertainty of nature.