Josie Osborne

Josie Osborne is a Senior Lecturer in the Art & Design Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), part of the Peck School of the Arts. She holds an MFA in Graphics (Printmaking) from UW-Madison and a BFA in Art (Painting and Drawing) from UW-Milwaukee. She also serves as an Emeritus Instructor in the First Year Program, actively contributing to academic and community initiatives.

Her professional work spans curatorial roles, including exhibitions such as Quiet and Marks and Conversions: The Graphic Work of Judy Pfaff and Squeak Carnwath, and recent co-curated projects like Miller and Shellabarger: Hiding in the Light. Osborne is deeply engaged in Milwaukee’s arts community, serving on boards and advisory committees for over a decade, including 12 years on the City of Milwaukee Arts Board.

Her research and activism focus on integrating art with social justice, exemplified through her involvement with the activist group Art Build Workers. She has received two Mary Nohl Suitcase Fund grants for a traveling exhibition and a studio residency in Spain. As an advocate for art education, she co-authored a funded grant and co-leads the ArtsECO program supporting art students and teachers in Milwaukee.

Osborne’s practice bridges curatorial work, community engagement, and pedagogical innovation, reflecting her commitment to art as a tool for social change.