A Night at the MEUF Salon
Written by Alexa Donovan and the MEUF Editorial Board.
Those of us who live in New York City are fortunate enough to have a plethora of fine art at our fingertips. Many of us go to museums and galleries on the weekends, lightly perusing the works on the walls. But the night at Pamela J. Joyner’s salon was different; there was to be thorough, intimate engagement with the art surrounding us.
Joyner invited MEUF Magazine and their guests into her home for an evening of culture, art, and discourse. An iconic individual, businesswoman, and art collector, Joyner is a trustee at multiple museums and esteemed art institutions such as the New York and San Francisco Museums of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the J. Paul Getty Trust.
The guests included the likes of New York City-based creatives, such as MEUF contributors Hermela Muluneh and Lara Tanner, actress Stella Chesnut, founder of The Radar NYC Caitlyn Liu, art collector Zein Blanks, and myself, the arts editor at Washington Square News. Together, we were some of the few lucky enough to enjoy her hospitality and explore her collection.
Joyner’s home is filled with works from her and her husbands’ Joyner and Giuffrida Collection. Its main focus is on the art of the African Diaspora, “giving serious thought” to artists who have been overlooked in art history. As a collector for more than 30 years, Joyner has always had a clear mission: to correct the “historical oversights” that are all too common in the canon of Western art.
The Joyner and Giuffrida collection includes pieces by Rodrigo Cass, William T. Williams, Charles Gaines, and Jadé Fadojutimi, to name a few.
Quiet descended on the space as the MEUF women took their first glances up at the towering, decorated walls. I felt inspired witnessing the collection Joyner has built upon a focused mission, and it was a joy to watch fellow guests engage with the art.
The walls of Joyner’s vast loft are covered with paintings and sculptural artworks. In particular, a small, vibrant landscape painting by Richard Mayhew hung above the bar, illuminating why Joyner called him one of the greatest colorists of our time.
As we began to take in the art, with eyes glued to the walls and hors d’oeuvres in hand, Joyner appeared, instantaneously it seemed, and joined us wandering women. We all exchanged greetings, and flushed red when she asked about our own lives and artistic interests.
“After hearing Pamela talk about the purpose and story behind Firelei Báez’s “Balangandan (we are each other’s magnitude and bond), that quickly became my favorite,” Blanks said. “It’s a true testament to Pamela’s philosophy that knowing the artist, knowing their perspective and creative mission, is what makes the art really sing.”
Joyner then led a tour in an electric blue woolen dress, and began telling us about her collection in more detail. She answered questions from guests about the artwork, her experience as a collector, and her perspective as a woman in the art world. Joyner answered all but one question: Which piece is her favorite? She explained that it was like asking a mother to choose her favorite child.
“I don’t know if I have ever been to an event like this that was solely made up of women,” Chesnut said. “I recently heard someone say you don’t know how important representation is until you see yourself represented and that is how I feel about women in the arts. It’s so rare that young women are truly encouraged to pursue their passions and to see other women who are fearlessly pursuing their goals, specifically in the arts, is so uplifting.”
Her collection is represented primarily by younger artists and was collected jointly with her husband during the pandemic, but that isn’t when Joyner’s love for art began. Joyner detailed her love for the arts and culture as a young girl, telling us about her visits to the Art Institute of Chicago each weekend as a child, where she would spend hours with Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” (1884).
In addition to her lifelong dedication to “rewriting art history,” Joyner is an entertainer, often hosting cultural salons like this in her homes in Reno, Nevada, New York City, and San Francisco.
“My night at the MEUF salon involved creating, rekindling, and strengthening connections between such strong women who offered perspectives I didn’t realize I needed, which I believe perfectly reflects MEUF,” said MEUF board member Alaina Moya.
The rest of the night took place seated at the dinner table in a similar fashion. Joyner shared many stories with us, from her adoration of ballet to her undergraduate study groups at Dartmouth. Conversations fluttered around the room on the topics of Degas’ dancers, modern dating, and each other’s current creative endeavors.
“All of the pieces Joyner collects are so unique from one another… I felt connected to the wide array of stories that all of the art told, which feels organic to me,’” MEUF Creative Director Kate Griffor said.
Reflecting on the grit with which she earned her success, Joyner shared a few words of advice with us:
“Set a mission, and pursue it outright.”
She certainly leads by example in this regard.