My name is Nora Evita Aresti and I am an arts administration intern at gallery Aferro. I am a fine art student currently completing my degree in sculpture at William Paterson University. Besides sculpture I am engaged in several other mediums of creation such as collage, photography and textiles. My artwork is conceptual and displays my dual interest in social and political issues. I am an activist and also I am very involved in student organizations such as the Feminist Collective and the Young Democratic Socialists. Besides my involvement in school I enjoy rock climbing, dancing and traveling. As a part of my internship I have the opportunity to work closely and assist gallery studio resident, Anne Dushanko Dobek. The gallery assigns interns with studio residents that share a similar concept in their art.

Anne Dushanko Dobek is a multidisciplinary installation artist whose work is exemplary of issues on social justice and the environment. Her work is in numerous museums and private collections and has been exhibited in the United States and Europe. Dushanko Dobek has taught at Fairleigh Dickensons University and has frequently been invited to lecture about art, social and environmental issues at museums and universities. Anne completed her Bachelors degree at Rowan University and her Masters Degree at Pratt Institute. A lifelong interest in entomology, and scientific practice have influenced her methodology as well as thematic choices.

Anne’s installations often provide a platform which allows people to become more aware of the complex issues her artworks explore. The installations; Promises, Promises allude to the traumatizing effects of forced sex trafficking victims. Parallel Migrations is about the perilous journeys of immigrants, migrants and refugees as they seek safety. Dushanko Dobek’s work is very conceptual, reductive, and referential. She creates a library of images and techniques to illustrate the severity of these disastrous journeys