Community Corner
Pamboukes Featured in Faculty Exhibit
Photographs on display in faculty gallery at Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.
The artistic medium of photography often provides us with a newfound appreciation for scenes we observe and experience on a regular basis. Joan Pamboukes, an instructor of photography and media arts at The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, highlights this function of the art form in her latest exhibit, Signal.
The body of work will be on display until November 27 in the Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg Gallery at The Visual Arts Center and consists of photographs and animation which Pamboukes uses to demonstrate the relationship between technological communication and the world in which we live.
The artist describes the exhibition as an ode to J.M.W. Turner’s work during England’s industrial revolution. While the 19th century romantic artist painted his subjects in a setting of ash, the result of innovations in coal power, Pamboukes captures images of modern technology against skyscapes of atmospheric occurrences like Hurricane Bill and the visible effects of an erupted, yet distant volcano.
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The photographs carefully combine scenes of changing environments with symbols of modern technology such as satellite TV dishes and antennas in order to draw attention to the invisible “signals” they send through the air and the ultimate impact they have on our lives when we eventually receive them.
A major part of her inspiration for this particular collection, which took about one year to complete, is the rooftop view from her residence in Astoria, Queens, said the artist. With a unique view of New Jersey’s Newark Airport, she is able to witness ways in which humans interact with the earth’s atmosphere and affect it through technology.
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Before creating Signals, Pamboukes was recognized for her photography of video games and digital screens where she captured seemingly real scenes that were actually produced by animation and video technology.
Pamboukes earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Mass Art in Boston and her master’s degree in the same field from New Jersey City University.
As a member of the staff at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Pamboukes teaches classes for various ages and ability levels, such as Photoshop in Black and White, Personal Digital Projects, and Digital Photography for Teens: Painting with Light, among others.
By no coincidence, Art Center visitors can view the works produced by some of Pamboukes’ classes by heading upstairs to the Arité and Joe Robinson Strolling Gallery II and discovering how the instructor’s personal work and that of her students’ overlap. The Aspiring Artist Series, composed completely of student work, will also be on display until November 27.
The photography of Pamboukes has been exhibited in galleries and museums in both New York and New Jersey. In addition to her instruction at The Visual Arts Center, Pamboukes also teaches photography and media arts at Long Island University in Brooklyn and New Jersey City University.
