Josephine Reichert

Director, Ort Gallery

Graduated in 2008

Josephine made the decision to move from Berlin to Birmingham, as the self-directed study seemed to be a much fresher approach to teaching art, compared with local universities. Josie is now the Director of Ort Gallery, an artist-led gallery space in Birmingham.

“I loved studying Fine Art at Birmingham City University. The purpose-built building is perfect for studying art and allowed me to try my hand at a variety of art forms, including making sculptures out of resin and fibreglass and learning about editing suites to create video content. I also enjoyed the community at the school and meeting creative people. Above all, I gained the confidence to do anything. As a creative person I felt I could take on any task and make it a success.

“I am currently the Director of Ort Gallery in Balsall Heath, Birmingham. I started this business myself in 2012. We have been successful in receiving funding from Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council and Big Lottery Fund. Over the past three years we have worked with recent graduates, commissioning them to create new art work for their solo exhibitions at Ort Gallery. We have mentored and supported them along this journey. We have also worked with some internationally acclaimed artists such as Leah Gordon, Juneau Projects, Pil and Galia Kollectiv and Ellie Harrison.

“The gallery is a Community Interest Company, a not for profit organisation with a mission. We are committed to the neighbourhood we are based in, to facilitate dialogue among the community and to engage residents in our activities in a meaningful way. We are working towards raising the profile of Balsall Heath.

“I want to grow Ort Gallery into a nationally known venue and host even more exciting and daring projects. I want to employ people who have the same passion, and make our mission of community cohesion a reality. I would like to work with other organisations as a curator or project manager. I would also love to teach at university level and pass on my work experience and knowledge to students.”