From Alice Chappell

Joyce had the discerning eye of a curator, a keen intellect, and a heart of gold. I met her 11years ago at the first SOFA NY. We shared a love of minimalism in glass - and a desire to help homeless animals, particularly cats. I valued her insights: she collected carefully, and was always first to spot talent. And, through her my appreciation of the expanse of contemporary Czech glass grew because I saw that she always went beyond the obvious – that was too mundane for her – and sought out artists with their own, distinctive points of view. She vigorously promoted their work and I enjoyed working with her in this respect. She was a leader, not a follower.

One of my fondest memories was the Thanksgiving, in 2004, that my husband, Richard, and I spent with her in Prague. I had been there several times before, beginning in my student days, but the vision of the city that she revealed made me feel as though it were my first visit. Since that visit, any time that Prague or the Czech Republic is mentioned, my husband thinks wishfully of the prospect of returning to the rich and beautiful place that she shared with us. We are only saddened that Joyce would not be with us.

The world was her oyster. Very near the end of her life she asked to have one of Anna Matouskova’s works delivered to her. It was an extremely heavy piece and we asked a gentleman, with whom we have worked on several occasions, to take care of the delivery, unpacking and placement of the work. He himself is a very special person, a devoted Muslim convert whose sense of spirituality is second only to that of Joyce. When he returned from Joyce’s home, he came in to Chappell Gallery with his eyes shining. They had spoken for hours, sharing ideas. He could not stop saying what a wonderful person she was.

The world needs more people like Joyce. On a personal level, I miss her very much and often think about her, far more than others, no longer with us, whom I have known better. She was a generous and thoughtful person, at a time when people seem to becoming increasingly narrow and insular in their thinking. I fear for the loss of people like Joyce.