Joseph Henry Seipel

SEIPEL, Joseph Henry, age 76, passed away peacefully at home on June 12, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He is preceded in death by his parents, Lidvina and Roman Seipel, and brother, Don Seipel. He is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Suzanne; daughter, whom he absolutely adored, Chloe Callahan (Mikey); grandchildren, Joseph Roman "J.R." and Owen Sean Callahan; sister, Marlene Jagodinski (Ron); brother, Ken Seipel (Rose Marie), sister-in-law, Mary Seipel; and 15 nieces and nephews.

In the days and weeks prior to his passing, Joe was surrounded by unwavering support and love from family, friends, and members of the Richmond community. A fixture in the local art scene, Joe had an incredible impact throughout his 42 year career at VCU. During his 17 year stint as professor and chairman, Joe led the sculpture department to its number one MFA sculpture program ranking by U.S. News and World Report. Later, in his five years as Dean of the School of the Arts, Seipel led VCUarts to its highest ranking ever, and was instrumental in the concept, planning, and fundraising for the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), an artistic educational and cultural center for both the students of VCU and Richmonders at large. His many accolades include a Life Time Achievement Award for Sculpture Education from the International Sculpture Center; 2012 Theresa Pollak Lifetime Achievement Award; University of Wisconsin, School of Education, Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award; and 2018 Person of the Year by the Richmond Times Dispatch, among others.

Joe's influence on the city dates back even further to 1978, when he co-founded 1708 Gallery, the nation's oldest artist-run nonprofit for contemporary art. Four years later, he partnered to open the Texas-Wisconsin Border Café, a local favorite for artists, businessmen, and ne'er-do-wells alike to gather for a beer and their famous widowmaker chili. There he achieved his greatest accomplishment of all: meeting his wife, Suzanne.

In the years since his retirement, and after his first and second un-retirements to step in as interim dean at FIT in New York and interim director of the ICA, Joe returned to full time studio practice. He enjoyed trips to Philly to visit his daughter, son-in-law and grandsons, was a regular for Sunday afternoon beers at The Cask, and made homemade pizza to enjoy with Suzanne every Friday night.

Throughout a life spent accruing countless professional accolades and forging close relationships with friends, Joe's most profound source of pride remained the embodiment of love and happiness in his life, his daughter, Chloe. Sharing with her his identically kind eyes and a deep love for each other, Joe organized every aspect of his life to maximize quality time spent with his daughter, and made sure to end even the shortest conversation with Chloe saying a warm "I love you."

Thank you to Joe's niece and hospice nurse, Paige Karch, with Serenity Hospice for her love and support.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Institute for Contemporary Art, 601 W. Broad Street, on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 3 p.m. Parking will be available in the West Broad Street deck. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to VCUarts Joseph Seipel Honorary Fund at https://go.vcu.edu/joeseipel and/or The American Cancer Society.