Artist Statement

I am thrilled to serve on the Board of Directors, Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Inc. these past 30 years. The photograph in this year’s exhibition was taken in Savannah, Georgia in March. Pin Point was a highlight of my time there. It was founded in the 1890s by formerly enslaved people, primarily Gullah/Geechee who were descended from West Africans. The people who settled at Pin Point were gainfully employed by the A.S. Van and Son Oyster and Crab Factory, owned their homes, and created a tight community. Many of their descendants are living there today.,

I am one of 88 photographers represented in Women Photographers: A Selection of Images from the Women in Photography International Archive 1852-1997 by Peter E. Palmquist and Gia Musso. And I am included in the Peter Palmquist Women in Photography International Collection at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University.

I worked in the disability rights movement for more than 30 years. One project I especially enjoyed was developing a program with a Russian NGO called Perspectiva, “Building Bridges: Cameras in the Hands of Children.” I led the first workshop, and then a year later did a training of trainers with Russian photographers.

I have had solo, duo, and group exhibits over many years. My photographs are also in www.womeninphotography.org and my website is www.pamslens.com.