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Biography

Pamela Taylor Turner's art began with photography and in the mid-1980's expanded into the realm of the moving image, encompassing video, film, and computer animation. Since 1995 she has taught studio and lecture courses in new media, photography, and animation at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is an associate professor in the department of Kinetic Imaging teaching animation and new media with an emphasis on mixing media and exploring the possibilities of expression through the creation of moving images and sound.

Experience of natural forms and spaces inspire much of her personal work, which has been exhibited both nationally and internationally at galleries and film festivals, including the Ajijic Festival Internacional de Cine 2000, Ajijic, Mexico; Nashville Independent Film Festival; Worldfest Houston; and the Mill Valley Film Festival. Her animation "Falling Back to Earth: Tomatillo" (2000) won a Director's Citation at the 21st Annual Black Maria Film and Video Festival, a Gold Award in Experimental Video and Film Animation at Worldfest Houston, Best Animated Narrative Award at the Brooklyn Film Festival, and the CiNY (Cinewomen New York) Award for Outstanding Filmmaking in Animation. Her latest work, "Between Frames", won an award for Experimental Short and Best Editing and has screened at the BAC 39th International Film and Video Festival, in Brooklyn, NY, and Madcat Women's International Film Festival, San Francisco, CA.

She has presented papers at the Society for Animation Studies annual conferences, and in Siggraph's Courses (2002) and Educators' Program (1998). She is the faculty sponsor for the Student Siggraph Chapter at VCU.

Her educational background includes a B.F.A. in Art History/Studio (1984) and a M.F.A. in Visual Communication/Electronic Media(1988).

Courses Taught in Kinetic Imaging (School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University)

Animation I – III; Computer Graphics II and III (3D Modeling and Animation); Advanced 3D Animation; Data Culture: Tracking the Electric Impulse; Abstract Animation: History and Practice; Senior Studio; and various Independent Research and Individual Studies.

Abstracts and Papers Presented

Articles Published

Panels

Invited Lectures

“Adam K. Beckett; Films and Discussion”, August 26th, 2006; National Gallery of Art, Washington.

“(re)Discovering the Work of Adam Beckett”; October 8, 2006; REDCAT Theater, Los Angeles, CA.

Exhibition of Work / Awards

Between Frames

Falling Back to Earth: Tomatillo

Earlier works

Awards, grants, fellowships and other honors

For "Between Frames":

For "Falling Back to Earth: Tomatillo"

Grants, fellowships and other honors

Research in Progress

“The Animation of Adam Beckett” - research project in collaboration with The iotaCenter, Los Angeles, CA. Faculty Research Leave awarded for Spring 2003. Research involves conducting interviews, reviewing archived films, drawings and related artifacts and facilitating preservation effort in cooperation with The Academy Film Archive and The iotaCenter. An influential and talented animator whose work ended with his tragic death in 1979, Adam was a student at the newly formed CalArts and the head of rotoscoping and animation for the first Star Wars feature film.

Professional Practice/Consultantships

2008 - Board of Directors, The iotaCenter, Los Angeles, CA.

2005 - ongoing Research Associate. The iotaCenter. Research of work and artists in field of abstract animation and visual music. Current project is on the late Adam Beckett, who was head of animation and rotoscoping on Star Wars (1977). Project includes facilitating preservation of Beckett's films at The Academy Film Archive in Hollywood, CA.

October 2005 Director of digital conversion and DVD authoring for Richard Carlyon's “Red Again ” and "Tilt ”. Video installation included in retrospective of Carlyon's work at The Reynold's Gallery, November 4 – December 23, 2005, The Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA..

2005 Directed and edited DVD of poetry readings for “Pivot Points” an exhibition of paintings and poems by three generations of American artists and writers, organized by Virginia Commonwealth University artists and faculty members Reni Gower and Sally Bowring.

2001–2002 Consultantship, animation. The Justice Project, Washington, D.C. Responsible for all animation related guidelines and information for The Artists' Call for Justice student competition, which involved working directly with the director of the project, Dan Walsh, to clarify how to manage online animation submissions to the competition Student submissions, researching and writing the submission guidelines for animation and consultation on the parameters of the competition as an educator.

2002 Consultantship to Larry Cuba, internationally known computer animation pioneer and computer graphics artist, Santa Cruz, California. Creating 3D digital animations for Mr. Cuba, based on his concept for a 3D zoetrope, which is in production 2002-2003. Animations are used to demonstrate Mr. Cuba's concept to technical shops that will manufacture some of the parts used for the zoetrope.

Full CV

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