Joy Glidden is best known as the Executive Director and Founder of the Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival (1997-2006), and the DUMBO Arts Center (1998-2006). She was the Director of New Orleans-based nonprofit Louisiana ArtWorks, (2007-2010), Executive Director and Founder of PBS Art Index TV (2010–present), and senior advisor to the Northern New England Museum of Contemporary Art (NNE MoCA), as well as the Northern New England Artist Legacy Project (NNEALP) (2017-2020). Glidden is the Executive Director and Founder of the Center for the Preservation of Artists' Legacies (CPAL) (2020–present), a 501c3 dedicated to the preservation of visual contemporary artists’ legacies.

She served on the PROSPECT New Orleans 1 Honorary Committee, on the Board of Directors of ArtTable as the National VP of Programs, and currently serves on the Advisory Committee at Harlem Burial Ground, Harlem, NY. Glidden is known for her entrepreneurial design of innovative programs and unique infrastructure build-out within the nonprofit sector. She has lectured on developing nonprofit art organizations for New York University, 92nd Street Y, and the Pratt Institute, on entrepreneurship in the arts at Appalachian State University, and on professional career development for artists at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and Louisiana State University. Most recently, Joy has spoken on the advancing challenges in the burgeoning artist legacy field to SUNY Old Westbury, CUNY Queens College, BA students and faculty. Glidden has delivered talks on the positive economic effects of artist communities with Danish, Norwegian, and Korean government representatives.