ShowUp Gallery Announces Groundbreaking Exhibition, "In Our Image," Curated by Emerging Boston Collector Shardé Marchewski
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 9th, 2026, Boston – ShowUp is pleased to announce its upcoming guest-curated exhibition, In Our Image. Featuring artwork from the private collection of Shardé Marchewski, a Boston art collector, this show presents a range of thoughtfully selected artworks reflecting her own lived experience. In Our Image will run from February 6 - March 1st, 2026. An opening reception will be held on Friday, February 6th, 2026 from 5pm to 8pm.
As a Black American woman married to an East German man, raising three children in Boston, Marchewski’s collection focuses on artworks that showcase her family’s cultural heritage. The thoughtful acquisitions and patronage of her family address a fundamental question: “In what ways does artwork reflect one’s identity and foster deeper understanding oneself?”
From Shardé Marchewski: “This collection grew out of a very intentional approach to building a home—one that affirms our children’s identity, honors our history, and reflects the cultures that shaped us. I believe beauty matters, but meaning matters just as much. In Our Image lives at the intersection of both.”
“Shardé’s exhibition is part of ShowUp’s Curatorial Incubator program where we bring new and diverse voices into the art world in an effort to push boundaries through inclusion and access to knowledge,” says ShowUp’s Executive Director Christine O’Donnell. “We see this as an excellent opportunity to support a new creative voice, and feature important concepts around intentionally building aesthetically supportive environments through art collecting. SCIP is evolving to support more artists, and Shardé is seeking ways to bring her message to the masses as well. Come visit the show and see what the hype is all about!”
ShowUp is open Thursdays - Saturdays 12-5 and Sundays 11-4. An opening reception for In Our Image will be held on Friday, February 6th from 5pm to 8pm. An artist talk and additional events will be announced in the coming weeks.
About the Curator
Shardé Marchewski is a Boston-based art collector whose personal collection explores themes of identity, heritage, and belonging through the lens of both diasporic and German art. Drawing on years of experience in the home décor space, Marchewski approaches collecting as a form of storytelling, curating environments that connect history, family, and community across cultures.
Her collection features a thoughtful mix of emerging and established artists, including Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, Jess Owens-Young, Clementine Hunter, Obou Gbais, David Driskell, Robert Indiana, and Max Pechstein, among others. Each work reflects a deep commitment to a personal narrative. From African and Afro-diasporic perspectives to German Expressionism, the collection celebrates the intersections of personal history and global identity.
Marchewski’s collection is deeply personal. Her husband, Jens, is from Germany, and together they’ve built a collection that bridges their cultures, honoring the emotional intensity, symbolism, and social commentary found in German art alongside the vibrancy, spirituality, and resilience of the Black diaspora.
Guided by the belief that art is both legacy and language, Marchewski’s approach to collecting is intentional and emotional. Her home functions as both living gallery and cultural archive, a space where art becomes a medium for dialogue about identity, memory, and the beauty of everyday life.
About SCIP
The ShowUp Curatorial Incubator Program (SCIP), offers an emerging curator the opportunity to bring an exhibition into a space, with the budget and support of ShowUp. Through a structured program, ShowUp offers educational and practical scaffolding and professional practice support that allows the realization of a creative vision while also maintaining and honoring the value of a unique curatorial and artistic contribution.
This program has been offered at ShowUp on a one-on-one basis since 2024, and is now being rolled out in 2026 to a larger audience. Please refer to our website or email SCIP@showupinc.org for more details.
About ShowUp
ShowUp is a 501(c)(3)-designated art activism-focused nonprofit exhibition space in Boston’s South End. ShowUp supports high-potential, talented artists whose work is underrepresented in traditional exhibition spaces due to systemic shortcomings. We focus on delivering transformative experiences for artists and the public through our “Three Es": Exhibitions, Education, and Engagement.
Its mission is to
CONNECT artists to local communities and beyond
AMPLIFY artists and their voices
PROVIDE artists tools for self-sufficiency
EMPOWER artists and curators to experiment, learn, and have meaningful exchanges
Learn more on its website and Instagram.
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