Artist Statement
Chelsey Luster is a Philadelphia-based visual artist and curator from Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Luster's artistic practice explores the complexities of safe spaces within Queer and Black culture. Through mixed-media paintings and immersive installations, she gives agency to her subjects, telling their stories of physical and mental safe spaces inspired by interviews, photoshoots, and collaborative processes.
Her work centers on Black, Queer, and Femme communities, focusing on the representation of underrepresented people and exploring the intersection of identity, space, and memory. Rooted in Philadelphia communities, each piece reflects the lived experiences of her models, offering a platform for them to define what safety means to them—whether through sound, texture, color, or place. By creating intimate and interactive environments, Luster invites viewers into these spaces, allowing them to see themselves within the art, challenging conventional notions of identity and belonging.
Luster’s work has been featured in prominent institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Michener Art Museum and is part of collections like Penn Medicine and the Woodmere Art Museum. She was a part of the Mural Arts Fellowship for Black Artists in the 2022 cohort and the Centering for Emerging Artists Fellowship in 2021. Her approach to art-making is rooted in collaboration, vulnerability, and the belief that art should be a vehicle for dialogue, healing, and self-expression.
Chelsey Luster is a Philadelphia-based visual artist and curator from Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Luster's artistic practice explores the complexities of safe spaces within Queer and Black culture. Through mixed-media paintings and immersive installations, she gives agency to her subjects, telling their stories of physical and mental safe spaces inspired by interviews, photoshoots, and collaborative processes.
Her work centers on Black, Queer, and Femme communities, focusing on the representation of underrepresented people and exploring the intersection of identity, space, and memory. Rooted in Philadelphia communities, each piece reflects the lived experiences of her models, offering a platform for them to define what safety means to them—whether through sound, texture, color, or place. By creating intimate and interactive environments, Luster invites viewers into these spaces, allowing them to see themselves within the art, challenging conventional notions of identity and belonging.
Luster’s work has been featured in prominent institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Michener Art Museum and is part of collections like Penn Medicine and the Woodmere Art Museum. She was a part of the Mural Arts Fellowship for Black Artists in the 2022 cohort and the Centering for Emerging Artists Fellowship in 2021. Her approach to art-making is rooted in collaboration, vulnerability, and the belief that art should be a vehicle for dialogue, healing, and self-expression.
Curatorial Statement
Chelsey Luster is a Philadelphia-based curator and visual artist from Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Art from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, where she began exploring storytelling through both material experimentation and community engagement. Her curatorial practice challenges traditional models of curation by rejecting the role of the curator as gatekeeper and instead embracing the roles of collaborator, facilitator, and advocate.
Chelsey centers artists who are rebels; those challenging conventional methods of making, disrupting dominant narratives, and reimagining processes from the ground up. She is especially drawn to interdisciplinary practices that blur boundaries across installation, performance, and mixed media to tell stories that are deeply personal, politically urgent, or culturally expansive.
Through her work with institutions like IceBox Project Space, Da Vinci Art Alliance, and the William Way LGBT Community Center, Chelsey builds platforms that honor underrepresented voices and create space for dialogue, intimacy, and resistance. Relationships with artists are built on mutual care and respect for autonomy; challenging the extractive and transactional norms that often define institutional curating.
Recent curatorial projects include the annual Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists Exhibition with Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Hot Bits 2025 Exhibition in Baltimore, a festival exhibition centering queer intimacy and pleasure through experimental works that defy genre and embrace radical vulnerability.
Currently serving as the Exhibition Manager at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, Chelsey manages the extensive collection of artist Isaiah Zagar and leads the Julia Zagar Residency for Women Artists; supporting emerging and established women-identifying artists through immersive, site-specific exhibitions and public engagement. In this role, she continues to nurture a curatorial practice that is deeply collaborative and intentionally disruptive—one that makes room for radical imagination, new materials, and expansive futures.
Chelsey Luster is a Philadelphia-based curator and visual artist from Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Art from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, where she began exploring storytelling through both material experimentation and community engagement. Her curatorial practice challenges traditional models of curation by rejecting the role of the curator as gatekeeper and instead embracing the roles of collaborator, facilitator, and advocate.
Chelsey centers artists who are rebels; those challenging conventional methods of making, disrupting dominant narratives, and reimagining processes from the ground up. She is especially drawn to interdisciplinary practices that blur boundaries across installation, performance, and mixed media to tell stories that are deeply personal, politically urgent, or culturally expansive.
Through her work with institutions like IceBox Project Space, Da Vinci Art Alliance, and the William Way LGBT Community Center, Chelsey builds platforms that honor underrepresented voices and create space for dialogue, intimacy, and resistance. Relationships with artists are built on mutual care and respect for autonomy; challenging the extractive and transactional norms that often define institutional curating.
Recent curatorial projects include the annual Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists Exhibition with Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Hot Bits 2025 Exhibition in Baltimore, a festival exhibition centering queer intimacy and pleasure through experimental works that defy genre and embrace radical vulnerability.
Currently serving as the Exhibition Manager at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, Chelsey manages the extensive collection of artist Isaiah Zagar and leads the Julia Zagar Residency for Women Artists; supporting emerging and established women-identifying artists through immersive, site-specific exhibitions and public engagement. In this role, she continues to nurture a curatorial practice that is deeply collaborative and intentionally disruptive—one that makes room for radical imagination, new materials, and expansive futures.
CV
Education, Fellowships, and Residencies:
2019 - Tyler School of Art, B.F.A., Painting and Drawing - Philadelphia, PA
2023-2024 - NewCourtland Artists Fellowship
2023 - Vermont Studio Center Residency Program - Johnson, VT
2022 - Mural Art Fellowship for Black Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2021-2023 - Vox Populi Art Collective Member - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - Center For Emerging Visual Artist 2021 Fellowship - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - Katheryn Pannepacker Curatorial Fellowship - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - Chautauqua School of Art Residency Program, Chautauqua School of Art - Chautauqua, NY
Solo Exhibitions:
2023 - “Finding Home” at Vox Populi - Philadelphia, PA
2023 - “Sacred Spaces” at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2022 - “Finding Home” at One for All Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Unveiling” at Tyler School of Art Stella Elkins Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - “Chelsey Luster Featured Artist” at 11th Hour Theatre Company at The Drake Theater - Philadelphia, PA
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2024 - “CFEVA at 40:Four Decades of Supporting Contemporary Art” at Michener Museum - Doylestown, PA
2024 - “Fortitude at at” at Gross McCleaf Gallery - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Remnant” Allens Lane Art Center
2021 - “Odyssey of the Black Spirit” Tennessee Valley Art Museum - Tuscumbia, AL
2021 - “The Spaces We Carry” Cade Gallery AACC - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “HerStory” Leadership & Art Coalition - New York, NY
2020 - “Tenses: Queer Bodies Through Time” - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Freedom Philly” National Liberty Museum - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Black Lives Matter” Moody Jones Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Transform” Da Vinci Art Alliance - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “For the Culture” - Miami, FL
2019 - “14th Annual Juried Exhibition” William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “215 | 610 CONTEMPORARY: Juried Exhibition of Regional Emerging Artists” - Delaware County Community College - Media, PA
2019 - “Art and Sound” at Our House Community Center - Germantown, PA
2019 - “Transform” at Painted Bride Art Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Selections: Composition, Content, Form” at Aramark Partner Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “There’s Nothing Else to Call Them” at Kitchen Table Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
Honors and Awards:
2023 - Leeway Transformation Awardee - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - Best in Show - William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - The Senior Painting Award - Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - Dean’s Grant - Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA
Curated Exhibitions:
2024 - “Ritual of Self: Isaiah Zagar’s Self-portraits on Paper” at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2024 - “Under $100, Under $1000: Works by Philly Artists” at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Wildest Dreams: Works by Zeinab Diomande" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "In Unison: Ceramic Sculptures by George Rodriguez" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Black Hair: Resistance, Freedom, and Beauty" at Icebox Project Space - Philadelphia
2023 - "Before the Storm: CFEVA Juried Exhibition" at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists - Philadelphia
2023 - "Laying the Foundation: the Zagars' Lives in South Philadelphia" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Art of Pleasure" at William Way LGBT Community Center - Philadelphia
2023 - "All the Right Places: Works by Rosa Leff" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2022 - “We’re on the Move: Paintings by Ashanté Kindle & Khari Turner” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
2022 - “When the Cracks Deepen: Works by Isaac Scott” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Together Again: Mosaic Panels by Isaiah Zagar” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Wading: When the Water Rises” at Vox Populi - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Queer Euphoria: “ at William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Moving Forward When the World Stopped” at William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Sanctuary: An Exploration of Queer Safe Havens” at Da Vinci Art Alliance - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “19.5%: Women in Power & Politics” at Little Berlin Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Icy Pop Up: Art Market” at The Artwear Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - “Bond of Knowing” at Tyler School of Art Stella Elkins Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
Education, Fellowships, and Residencies:
2019 - Tyler School of Art, B.F.A., Painting and Drawing - Philadelphia, PA
2023-2024 - NewCourtland Artists Fellowship
2023 - Vermont Studio Center Residency Program - Johnson, VT
2022 - Mural Art Fellowship for Black Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2021-2023 - Vox Populi Art Collective Member - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - Center For Emerging Visual Artist 2021 Fellowship - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - Katheryn Pannepacker Curatorial Fellowship - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - Chautauqua School of Art Residency Program, Chautauqua School of Art - Chautauqua, NY
Solo Exhibitions:
2023 - “Finding Home” at Vox Populi - Philadelphia, PA
2023 - “Sacred Spaces” at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2022 - “Finding Home” at One for All Artists - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Unveiling” at Tyler School of Art Stella Elkins Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - “Chelsey Luster Featured Artist” at 11th Hour Theatre Company at The Drake Theater - Philadelphia, PA
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2024 - “CFEVA at 40:Four Decades of Supporting Contemporary Art” at Michener Museum - Doylestown, PA
2024 - “Fortitude at at” at Gross McCleaf Gallery - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Remnant” Allens Lane Art Center
2021 - “Odyssey of the Black Spirit” Tennessee Valley Art Museum - Tuscumbia, AL
2021 - “The Spaces We Carry” Cade Gallery AACC - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “HerStory” Leadership & Art Coalition - New York, NY
2020 - “Tenses: Queer Bodies Through Time” - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Freedom Philly” National Liberty Museum - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Black Lives Matter” Moody Jones Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “Transform” Da Vinci Art Alliance - Philadelphia, PA
2020 - “For the Culture” - Miami, FL
2019 - “14th Annual Juried Exhibition” William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “215 | 610 CONTEMPORARY: Juried Exhibition of Regional Emerging Artists” - Delaware County Community College - Media, PA
2019 - “Art and Sound” at Our House Community Center - Germantown, PA
2019 - “Transform” at Painted Bride Art Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Selections: Composition, Content, Form” at Aramark Partner Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “There’s Nothing Else to Call Them” at Kitchen Table Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
Honors and Awards:
2023 - Leeway Transformation Awardee - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - Best in Show - William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - The Senior Painting Award - Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - Dean’s Grant - Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA
Curated Exhibitions:
2024 - “Ritual of Self: Isaiah Zagar’s Self-portraits on Paper” at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2024 - “Under $100, Under $1000: Works by Philly Artists” at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Wildest Dreams: Works by Zeinab Diomande" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "In Unison: Ceramic Sculptures by George Rodriguez" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Black Hair: Resistance, Freedom, and Beauty" at Icebox Project Space - Philadelphia
2023 - "Before the Storm: CFEVA Juried Exhibition" at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists - Philadelphia
2023 - "Laying the Foundation: the Zagars' Lives in South Philadelphia" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2023 - "Art of Pleasure" at William Way LGBT Community Center - Philadelphia
2023 - "All the Right Places: Works by Rosa Leff" at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens - Philadelphia
2022 - “We’re on the Move: Paintings by Ashanté Kindle & Khari Turner” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
2022 - “When the Cracks Deepen: Works by Isaac Scott” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Together Again: Mosaic Panels by Isaiah Zagar” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens - Philadelphia PA
2022 - “Wading: When the Water Rises” at Vox Populi - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Queer Euphoria: “ at William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Moving Forward When the World Stopped” at William Way Community Center - Philadelphia, PA
2021 - “Sanctuary: An Exploration of Queer Safe Havens” at Da Vinci Art Alliance - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “19.5%: Women in Power & Politics” at Little Berlin Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2019 - “Icy Pop Up: Art Market” at The Artwear Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
2018 - “Bond of Knowing” at Tyler School of Art Stella Elkins Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
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