Junko Pinkowski is an Instructor in Arts and an advisor for Asian Society, Japanese Society, and the Moviemakers’ club. Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Pinkowski studied design at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in Auckland, New Zealand. She returned to Japan for an apprenticeship in woodworking and traditional furniture design, then relocated to the U.S. to pursue typography at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She has exhibited her works in several galleries throughout the East Coast, including the metropolitan area of Washington D.C.
What is something that you cannot live without?
That’s a difficult question. I think my sight. I don’t think I can lose my sight. I can’t live without seeing, and I just love looking at things. I wouldn’t be able to draw inspiration from anywhere if I lost my sight. If I lose my eyes, that’s it. That’s the end.
In what ways does your passion for design and digital art manifest itself through teaching?
My passion for design, I’ve always loved it. Whether it’s with traditional drawing and painting, or any designs that involve compositions and colors or kind of combinations are things that I just love in general. That’s why in any field I teach, I do some traditional drawing, as well as experimental pieces. I do a design based on every project that I do, in the movie or advanced classes, or in multimedia where students can use all kinds of different media. But the design basics are always in every subject, so I get excited about that knowledge itself being used in different mediums.
What is one thing students have taught you here?
The ability to experiment. Just keep experimenting, that is the most important thing. Because of my design background, I’m constantly thinking about the end product. The end product has to be perfect; it has to be functional. But then working with the students definitely emphasizes the processes way more, which is sometimes more important than the product. And I’ve always had this product in focus, but working with the student is really like you’re focusing on the product process itself as well as the growth.
Could you elaborate on your choice to pursue education in a foreign country and what your experience at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design was like?
When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to pursue art, but I wasn’t quite sure which direction I wanted to go. I took a gap year off because of it. Then it was really when a friend of our family came in, who was living in New Zealand. They knew somebody from this art school, Whitecliffe College of Art and Design, and was teaching at Whitecliffe. They asked if I was interested in it and said that it was a beautiful country. Then I started looking into it, and I thought it was a really interesting country to go to because it’s completely on the other side of the hemisphere. [New Zealand] was an amazing experience for me. It is a small country, but everywhere you go is different because they have that great kind of British culture as well as Native Maori and polynesian culture, that was totally a fascinating exposure for me. It also allowed me to study English and art at the same time.
What was your apprenticeship in woodworking and furniture design at the Matsumoto Technical Institute like?
It taught me traditional skills, woodworking, and a lot of different techniques. I was doing an apprenticeship with this man who is also a Miyadaiku, which is a temple carpenter. That’s different from a regular carpenter because they have incredibly traditional mastery skills. I happened to meet him in my hometown, and he was happy to take me in to teach me how to make furniture. He does furniture for the temples and shrines, so it’s different arts but it was there that I learned so much about the Japanese kind of tradition of mastery, like a master craftsman. Working with them totally blew my mind. I love learning. I want to be a forever learner.
In what ways have the cultures you have experienced in different countries influenced the content of your art/artistic process?
It’s interesting, seeing how a different culture has influenced the craftsmanship as well as the design, compositions, and sense. The most significant thing I’ve come back to was my own origin. I’ve been exposed to so many things, so many artworks in Italy and other countries. I love learning new techniques, new culture, new patterns, new artwork. Studying that brought me back to appreciate my own culture, which I was neglecting. When you’re young, you don’t really think about [heritage] because you’re living in it so you don’t pay attention to it that much. But furniture design was one thing that really brought me back to traditional Japanese culture. The more you study, the more you’re exposed to a different culture. That definitely influences me as well as my artwork, since I use different techniques and can model after different artists. Most importantly, it brought me back to where I started, the way I was, where I’ve been and who I am. That means [the] most.
Your collection, “A Pandemic Gestation,” was a means for you to compartmentalize your emotions and the tragedy you saw surrounding COVID-19. What does art mean to you? Is it something you turn to in times of unrest, or is it more than that?
[Art] is something I’ve always turned to. Artwork could be a reflection of myself during the time or the experiences that I’m having or seeing. Back then in Washington D.C., so much was going on while I was down there with the pandemic and the D.C. insurrections. I’m seeing it right there, live, and I have to pack it all in and at the same time, release it. Even being in that mall is such a stark contrast and so empty compared to what I was used to seeing. It was gloomy. It was depressing. At the same time, the pandemic situation really limited me to go places or do things, and I started to see the nature and beauty so close to me that I hadn’t paid attention to before. I take the world in and hope that my work becomes a kind of expression of that time, whether it’s uneasiness as well as if that could lead to the healing of both myself and the viewer. Art becomes something that connects others in the healing process.
You’ve taught a wide range of courses at Andover, from Art 225 to 600 to Video. In what ways is teaching courses that are so varied both challenging and rewarding?
It is more rewarding. It is just great working with students and seeing their creativity as well as what it eventually becomes. In explorations and creativity, of course there is a kind of struggle along the way. It’s watching through the entire process that is really fun, and to see the end results is really rewarding. At the same time, I’m learning a lot from working with the students, constantly learning new skills, new ideas, and new ways to help as well.
What is something about you that most students and faculty members do not know?
I played the guitar in a punk band when I was in highschool, when I was in Tokyo. That was a good experience. It was not a famous band or anything, but I did play live in Tokyo. It was awesome stuff, but I unfortunately can’t play anything anymore.
What is the best piece of advice you have learned that you would like to relay to students?
Expose yourself to as many things as you can, whether you’re artists or athletes, just explore anything in particular. I can only speak for the art side of things, but everything is connected in some way. For example, it’s not just art history, it’s culture, it’s the food, it’s the movies. It’s even the sports. The more you know, the more you expose yourself to things you are unfamiliar with. You are enriching yourself, enriching your artwork. Try to take risks. Making mistakes is extremely important. When you’re young, if you make a mistake, you can easily be forgiven. Even if you make a mistake now, you’re forgiven easily. Whereas, if you’re an adult, it’s harder to be forgiven, so just make mistakes while you can and appreciate the surroundings that you have.
