Joni Sternbach is a native New Yorker. She holds an M.A. in Photography from
New York University/International Center of Photography and a BFA from the School of Visual Arts. She has held teaching positions at NYU and been a visiting artist at Cooper Union. She is founding faculty at Penumbra Foundation where she currently teaches and is on their advisory board.
Sternbach uses both large format film and early photographic processes to explore the present-day landscape, and to make environmental portraits. Her work centers on our relationship with water, and how as humans, we observe, relate to, and interact with the earth’s oceans. Because her work is so intrinsic to connective bodies of water, it taps into environmental issues like climate change and its accompanying effects.
Her long-term projects involve the pursuit and understanding of the western landscape and the series SurfLand, which captures portraits of surfers in tintype.
Her video projects: Surfing in Other Languages (2017) and Making Pictures (2023) depict surfing from unconventional perspectives. SIOL’s gathers voices from around the globe speaking the work ‘Surf” in their native language and pairs it with footage from the Yale Surf Team. MP is a multi-channel project using GoPro video strapped to Sternbach’s tripod during the process of making a tintype and records both the ambient footage and the story.
Sternbach’s involvement and experimentation with historical and alternative processes began in the early 1990s and was part of her teaching curriculum at NYU where she worked for over 15 years as an adjunct professor. The Untitled Silhouette series, a feminist-based riff on Muybridge’s nude studies of females from The Human Figure in Motion, furthered her work with concept, process and platinum printing.
Sternbach’s work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and abroad and was included in the seminal exhibition, Pleasures and Terrors of Domestic Comfort at MoMA. Her photographs are held in several public collections including the High Museum, LACMA, The Nelson-Atkins Museum, MoPA, Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, France, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to name a few. She is the recipient of several grants and awards including MacDowell, NYFA, the 2011 Clarence John Laughlin and 2010 Santo Foundation awards.
She is represented in Los Angeles by Von Lintel Gallery, in London by Black Box Projects, and in Cornwall by Circle Contemporary
ONE PERSON EXHIBITIONS
| 2023 | – | The Surfing Landscape Von Lintel Gallery, Santa Monica, CA |
| – | Salt Horizon Circle Contemporary Gallery, Cornwall, UK | |
| 2021 | – | SURFBOARD Black Box Projects, London, UK |
| 2020 | – | SURFBOARD Von Lintel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2019 | – | The Momentary Wave MOAH, Lancaster, CA |
| 2018 | – | Ocean Side Galerie Catherine et Andre Hug, Paris, France |
| – | The Momentary Wave Halekulani Gallery, Honolulu, HI | |
| 2017 | – | VAST: Sea Salt, Sand, Sky The Harn Museum, Gainesville, FL |
| 2016 | – | Her Wave Von Lintel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2015 | – | Surfland Helder Supply, Biarritz, France |
| – | Surfland Galerie Hug. Paris, France | |
| 2014 | – | The Passengers Rick Wester Fine Art. NYC |
| 2012 | – | Surfland Revisited, 2006-2012 Rick Wester Fine Art. NYC |
| – | Surfland Southeast Museum of Photography. Daytona Beach, FL | |
| 2011 | – | Sea Creatures Joseph Bellows Gallery |
| 2009 | – | Surfland Peabody Essex Museum. Salem, MA |
| – | Surfland Blue Sky Gallery. Portland, OR | |
| – | Lishui Photo Festival. Lishui, China | |
| – | Surfland String Room Gallery. Wells College. Aurora, NY | |
| 2007 | – | Surfland Edward Cella Art + Architecture. Santa Barbara, CA |
| 2006 | – | New Photographs Kenise Barnes Fine Art |
| 2004 | – | What is This Heaven East Gallery, Brooklyn, NY |
| 1992 | – | Untitled Silhouettes Julie Saul Gallery, NY |
Selected Group Exhibitions
| 2024 | – | California Gold. Berggruen Gallery, SF, CA |
| – | Whose Waters. San Louis Obispo Art Museum, SLO, CA | |
| 2023 | – | UCross Gallery The Shape of Time curated by Keith Davis |
| 2022 | – | The Art Show, NYC November 3-6, 2022 |
| 2021 | – | Fergus McCaffrey Gallery, Barbarian Days |
| – | High Museum of Art, Underexposed: Women Photographers from the Collection | |
| 2020 | – | Black Box Projects, London, UK, Into The Blue |
| – | HCP, Houston, TX, Keeper of the Hearth | |
| – | University of New Mexico, A Yellow Rose Project | |
| 2019 | – | Black Box Projects, London, UK Fundamentals |
| – | Shelburne Art Museum, VT Time Lapse: Contemporary Analogue Photography | |
| – | Bullivant Gallery, St Louis, MO California Dreamin' | |
| 2018 | – | JP Morgan Chase, Paris Photo Special Exhibition at Paris Photo This Must Be The Place |
| – | Circle Contemporary Gallery, Wadebridge, England | |
| – | Von Lintel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Talk To Me | |
| – | L. Parker Stephenson Photographs, NYC Coast To Coast | |
| 2017 | – | Panopticon Gallery, Boston, MA At Sea |
| – | Pingyao Photo Festival, China. Old School/New School | |
| – | Huntington Beach Art Center, Women in Surfing: Art & History. | |
| 2016 | – | National Portrait Gallery, London, UK Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016 |
| – | MOCA Jacksonville, FL Retro-spective: Analog Photography in a Digital World | |
| – | Candela Gallery and Books, Richmond, VA Unbound 5 | |
| – | Museum Belvédère, Heerenveen, Netherlands. Arena, Noordelicht Photo Festival | |
| – | Musée de l'Elysée|Memory of the Future | |
| 2015 | – | Gallery at the School of Design at Mount Ida. Newton, MA New Visionaries: Photographers Who Bridge Art + Commerce |
| 2014 | – | Rick Wester Fine Art. NYC Not Long Hidden |
| 2013 | – | The Fralin Museum of Art. Charlottesville, VA Looking at the New West |
| – | The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City, MO About Face: Contemporary Portraiture | |
| – | Light Factory, Charlotte, NC Sometime Other Than Now: Alternative Processes in Contemporary Photography | |
| – | United Photo Industries, Brooklyn, NY Drawn To Water | |
| 2012 | – | Candela Books & Gallery. Richmond, VA Unbound |
| – | Santa Barbara Museum of Art Portrayal / Betrayal | |
| – | Rick Wester Fine Art. NYC AIPAD, PULSE | |
| – | Photo Center NW. Seattle, WA surFACE: Contemporary Wet Plate Collodion Portraiture | |
| 2011 | – | Rick Wester Fine Art. Miami, FL PULSE Art Fair |
| – | Joslyn Art Museum. Omaha, NE American Landscape: Contemporary Photographs of the West | |
| – | Jennifer Schwartz Gallery. Atlanta, GA Wet Plate and Mirrors: Photographers Working with Historical Processes | |
| – | The Palos Verdes Art Center, Palos Verdes, CA Surf's Up | |
| – | Museum of Ventura County. Ventura, CA Splash: Celebrating Ventura County Beach Culture and Ocean-Inspired Art | |
| – | Maison Européenne de la Photographie. Paris, France L’Objet Photographique | |
| – | Bric Rotunda Gallery. Brooklyn, NY Water Water Every Where | |
| – | Houston Center for Photography. Benefit Auction | |
| 2009 | – | Bonni Benrubi Gallery. NYC Hot Fun in the Summertime |
| – | Scheinbaum and Russek Gallery. Santa Fe, NM Summer's Amost Gone | |
| – | Sue Scott Gallery. NYC We're All Gonna Die | |
| – | Edward Cella Art + Architecture. Los Angeles, CA Transforming Photography | |
| – | NY Photo Festival. Brooklyn, NY All Over The Place curated by William Ewing | |
| – | Clark Gallery. Lincoln, MA Float | |
| 2008 | – | RayKo Photo Center. San Francisco, CA Into The Ether |
| – | Pulse Art Fair. NYC Artware editions at the VIP lounge | |
| – | 23 Sandy Gallery. Portland, OR Resurrection | |
| 2007 | – | Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum. Santa Barbara, CA Glass Love: Contemporary Art And Surf |
| – | Silvermine Guild Arts Center. New Canaan, CT SPECTRA '07: National Photography Triennial | |
| – | Kinz, Tillou + Feigen. NYC By Invitation Only | |
| – | Edward Cella Art + Architecture. Santa Barbara, CA Welcome to Our Neighborhood | |
| 2006 | – | Chicago Art Source. Chicago, IL Nostalgic Noir |
| – | Lennon, Weinberg Gallery. NYC Wallpaper Lab | |
| – | Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Houston, Texas Photo Forum | |
| – | St Louis Art Museum. St Louis, MO Recent Landscape Photography: The Intimate and the Sublime | |
| 2005 | – | Jenkins Johnson Gallery, NYC Inaugural Exhibition |
| – | Foley Gallery. NYC When We Were Young | |
| – | Photo Eye Gallery. Santa Fe, NM OnLine/OnSite | |
| 2004 | – | Senior and Shopmaker Gallery. NYC Permutations on the Picturesque |
| – | Hofstra University. Hempstead, NY Where the Island Begins | |
| – | Lehman College Art Gallery. Bronx, NY Images of Time and Place: Contemporary Views of Landscape | |
| 1994 | – | Paul Kopeikin Gallery. LA, California Hidden Faces |
| – | Art In General. NYC Little Things | |
| 1993 | – | Triangle Theater, Long Island University. Brooklyn, NY Body And Soul Collaborative Installation |
| – | University Of Texas at Austin A Second Look: Women Photographers at the HRHRC | |
| 1991 | – | Museum of Modern Art, New York Pleasures and Terrors of Domestic Comfort |
| 1988 | – | Houston Center For Photography. Houston, TX The Other Catalogue |
| – | Bayfront NATO Center for The Arts. Erie. PA Totem Polemic Or, The Family Emblem | |
| 1986 | – | Stokker Stikker Gallery. NYC Two-Person Exhibition |
| – | Light Work Gallery. Syracuse, NY Three-Person Exhibition |
Grants, Awards and Residencies
| 2023 | – | Uncommon Art Residency |
| 2020 | – | Yucca Valley Material Lab |
| 2018 | – | MacDowell Colony Artist in Residence |
| 2016 | – | National Portrait Gallery, London. Taylor Wessing Award, 2nd Prize |
| 2013 | – | Ucross Foundation. Clearmont, WY |
| 2012 | – | Ucross Foundation. Clearmont, WY |
| – | Kimmel Harding Nelson. Nebraska City, Nebraska | |
| 2011 | – | Clarence John Laughlin Award. New Orleans Photo Alliance |
| – | The Art Park. Byron Bay, NSW Australia | |
| 2010 | – | The Santo Foundation, Artist Grant |
| – | Center for Land Use Interpretation. Wendover, UT | |
| 2008 | – | Photo Lucida Hard Cover Monograph |
| – | Center for Land Use Interpretation. Wendover, UT | |
| 1992 | – | Polaroid Artists Support Grant |
| 1987 | – | Light Work. Syracuse, NY. Artist In Residence Grant |
| 1982 | – | Creative Artists Public Service |
Public Collections
The High Museum of Art
LA County Museum of Art
MOCA Jacksonville
National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Peabody Essex Museum
J.P. Morgan Chase
Tate Museum of Art, Library Collection
Maison Européenne de la Photographie. Paris, France
Museum of Photographic Arts San Diego
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
SF MoMA
Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Washington, DC
The Cleveland Museum of Art
St. Louis Art Museum
University Of Texas At Austin. Harry Ransom Center
Polaroid International Collection
Bibliotheque Nationale
International Center Of Photography
Center For Photography at Woodstock
Light Work
Curated Exhibitons
Reimaging Likeness + Landscape. Penumbra Foundation March-June 24, 2022
Education
Master Of Arts. Photography 1987 New York University/International Center of Photography
Bachelor Of Fine Arts. Photography 1977 School of Visual Arts
Studio Art. 1971 – 72 Goddard College. Plainfield, Vermont
Camp Tintype. 2000 Wetplate workshop with John Coffer
Scully and Osterman Studio. 2002 Wetplate Tutorial
Teaching
Penumbra Foundation
Medium San Diego
Visiting Artist: Cooper Union 2014-2016
Adjunct Instructor in Art: New York University 1986 – 2007
Adjunct Professor of Art: Queensborough Community College. Bayside, NY 2001 – 2002
Adjunct Faculty: Bergen Community College. Paramus, NJ. 1999 – 2000
Instructor In Art: The American School In London 1996
Wet-Plate Workshops: 2003 – present:
International Center of Photography
Houston Center for Photography
Utah State University, Caine College of the Arts
Peabody Essex Museum
Silver Eye Center for Photography
Bibliography
Kissing A Stranger – Monograph 2022
As Much As – artist Book.
Surfboard – Monograph 2020
Keeper Of The Hearth by Odette England
High Tide Montauk Point, artist book 2019
Surfing by Jim Heimann published by Taschen 2016
The Memory of the Future, published by Musée de l’Elysée edited by Tatyana Franck 2016
Surf Site Tin Type, published by Damiani Editore – Monograph 2015
The Passengers published by Cafe Royal Books 2014
Promise Land published by Cafe Royal Books 2013
The Photograph Not Taken by Will Steacy 2012
Face to Face: Ocean Portraits by Huw Lewis-Jones 2010
SurfLand, published by Photolucida essay by Phillip Prodger – Monograph 2009
Pleasures and Terrors of Domestic Comfort by Peter Galassi – published by MOMA 1991
Our website address is https://jonisternbach.com. When you subscribe to my mailing list you will only receive occasional newsletters about exhibitions and publications related to my artwork. Your privacy is important to us and your information will never be shared.
photograph by Ben Barnick