For Karen, art has never existed in isolation and has always been about dialogue between image and environment, artist and audience, and individual voice and collective experience.
It is always surreal to learn about artists and professionals across fields who have been walking on unconventional paths to create unconventional success stories, while inspiring up-and-coming talents all around the world. A few rare gems also go ahead in making a positive impact through all that they choose to do in their careers. Serving as one such inspiring example is Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico, who rises as a trailblazer and game-changer in the world of art. She has risen to be an internationally exhibited artist, curator, and cultural advocate, whose work has always spoken for itself.
Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico has been ushering in a new era of artistic philanthropy through The Pictorial Foundation, a global community of visual storytellers. It is known as a foundation of possibilities, determined to build inclusive spaces where visual storytellers can be seen through exhibitions, installations, workshops, and events. She believes that art has never existed in isolation and has always been about dialogue, between image and environment, artist and audience, and individual voice and collective experience. Today, she has stepped into one of the most meaningful chapters of her life, transforming The Pictorial List Magazine into a not-for-profit foundation with a physical art space, designed to support artists locally and globally through collaboration, trust, and long-term relationships.
This evolution has now culminated in the opening of The Pictorial Foundation’s first exhibition in February, in a beautiful new space that brings years of community-building into tangible form. While Karen’s personal journey as a woman artist has been widely documented, this moment has shifted the focus to her philanthropic contributions to the arts and her commitment to creating a respectful, sustainable ecosystem where artists can thrive. At the very heart, The Pictorial Foundation paves the way for a true home, something artists spend a lifetime searching for. It provides not just a gallery wall, but a place grounded in mutual respect, creative freedom, and trust. Her work, both as Editorial Director of The Pictorial List and Co-Founder of the Foundation, has always centred on nurturing long-term relationships rather than on transactional exposure.
She brings the magazine to life as a physical, non-profit art space, with the genuine intent to create a bridge between local and international creative communities. Artists who have long shared their work through the magazine now have a place to gather, exhibit, collaborate, be seen, and grow on their own terms.
Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico has demonstrated the ability to lead such an initiative, drawing on a lifetime of lived experience. She is an honours graduate of Pratt Institute and has thus far exhibited in 15 countries and 25 cities worldwide. Over the years, she has built long-term photographic studies that explore identity, movement, reflection, and environment. Her work is often described as an “archaeology of reflections” that demonstrates a deep commitment to sustained inquiry rather than fleeting trends. She is also a recognised name among the Top 30 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2025 by NYC Journal and was named among the Top Ten Inspiring Women by MSN. As a Signature Member of NAWA (National Association of Women Artists), she remains a passionate advocate for women in the arts, helping others build the confidence and self-trust that she believes took her years to cultivate.
Today, where the art space is more driven by speed, instant visibility and short-term gains, The Pictorial Foundation offers something refreshingly rare, an intentional slowness and depth. It is a space where projects can evolve over time, studies may last decades, and artists are encouraged to take risks without the fear of failure. At 63, where many step back, Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico moves forward with courage, clarity, confidence and joy. With the opening of The Pictorial Foundation and its inaugural exhibition in February, she is opening a future where artists are supported, communities are connected, and creativity is honoured.
