Hoboken from on high

When photographer and fine-art printmaker Edward Fausty moved his studio in 2005 from 111 First St. in Jersey City to the Yardley building in Union City, perched on the Palisades cliffs just above Hoboken’s 14th Street Viaduct, he was almost overwhelmed by the view from his top-floor, east-facing window.
He waited a long time before attempting to tackle such a grand subject, working on other projects and just watching the changing light and atmosphere without trying to wrestle it into a frame. Eventually, an irresistible moment presented itself and he grabbed his camera and went up to the roof for an unobstructed view.
The resulting series, “One View, Endless Variety: The Hudson from atop the Palisades,” will be on display in the Upper Gallery of the Hoboken Historical Museum from July 26 through Sept. 13. Meet the artist at a free opening reception from 2 to 5 p.m. on July 26.

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He waited a long time before attempting to tackle such a grand subject.
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An enthusiastic convert to the digital camera in 2007 after a lifetime using traditional equipment, Fausty often uses the panoramic “stitching” technique to merge multiple images together to capture a huge sweep of the view. “Fog Rolling up the Hudson” stretches from lower to midtown Manhattan. In “Rainbows Over Hoboken, 2008,” a complete double rainbow arcs from Weehawken Cove to the middle of Hoboken. One very long panorama, close to eight feet wide, was taken from the roof of the Yardley, at dusk, called “Moonrise over Hoboken,” after Ansel Adams’ famous shots of Hernandez, N.M.
The digital stitching technology allows him to capture a lot of detail in these photographs, many as wide as 46 inches. For Hoboken residents, the data-rich format offers a bonus pleasure in viewing the buildings of our daily routines from an unexpected vantage point.
Fausty has had a camera in hand since age four, when his father had a retail camera store in Westchester County. He earned a BFA at Cooper Union, where the famous photographer Joel Meyerowitz became a mentor. He is also a graduate of the Yale Master of Fine Arts Photography program.
He is as much a printmaker as photographer, and is a sought-after specialist in the historic 19th century collotype process, completing a residency at Princeton University with photographer Accra Shepp in 2007.
Fausty’s work is represented in collections such as The George Eastman House, The U.S. Library of Congress, Pfizer Corporation, Yale University and others. He has shown at Princeton University, The Brooklyn Museum, Gallery Bi Damas in Japan, Paul Sharpe Contemporary in New York, and The World Theatre Festival in Nancy, France. More examples of his work can be seen at www.edwardfausty.com.

About the Hoboken Historical Museum

Founded 1986, the Museum’s mission is to educate the public about Hoboken’s history, diverse culture, architecture and historic landmarks. In 2001, the Museum moved into one of the oldest buildings on the waterfront, in the former Bethlehem Steel shipyard, at 1301 Hudson St., Hoboken, where it maintains a series of rotating exhibits. The Museum is open six days a week, 2 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday, 1to 5 p.m. on Fridays, and noon to 5 p.m. on weekends. It offers special exhibits, tours, events and lectures, as well as educational programs for adults and children on a weekly basis. Validated parking for three hours is available. An updated schedule of events and an online catalog of many items in its collections are available at www.hobokenmuseum.org. The Museum is a not-for-profit tax-exempt 501(c) entity.