LEADERSHIP & STAFF

Xárene Eskandar, PhD, MFA
Founder & Executive Director
xarene@themojaveinstitute.org

Xárene is an artist and researcher. She began explorations in photography with a Zeiss camera her father kept in a cabinet amongst a collection of the latest imaging technologies of the 70s and 80s.

Her research interests stem from the philosophy of technology and altering the perception of time and space in photography and video. With this, she pioneered a new aesthetic of 'time slice' in photography and visual culture (2010) and a new methodology for environmental data visualization called ‘realtime lapse’ (2013, IEEE). This work has been published, exhibited, and awarded internationally.

After a 10-year hiatus from academia founding a Tokyo-based AI company building software for environmental assessment, she completed her Doctorate in Media Arts and Technology from UC Santa Barbara, titled Aesthetics for a Philosophy of Scale. Xárene's dissertation expands on Villem Flusser's philosophies of the technical image to include novel research on the relationship of the body and perceived scale.

Her first film, titled Driving at the speed of the Nordic sun, is a single-take 4-hour video that premiered at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in a custom built theater. Her single-take repertoire with a focus on desert landscapes continues to grow.

After first experiencing and falling in love with the deserts of the Southwest at age 7, Xárene finally left Los Angeles for the high desert of New Mexico in 2019. Realizing the Chihuahuan Desert bordering the Colorado Plateau is far too cold, she relocated to the Mojave Desert where she has been living full-time since 2020. Her thirst for photographic exploration and research is continually satiated by her travels. Seeing a void for a space dedicated to photography, she founded The Mojave Institute of Photography in 2026 so that photographers and the local community can satiate their curiosity and imagination right here in the Mojave Desert.

Nina Rowan
Development Director
nina@themojaveinstitute.org

Nina is a program and partnerships leader whose work sits at the intersection of culture, community, and impact. She brings a decade of experience developing strategic partnerships, cultivating senior stakeholders, and building high-touch programs that turn shared interests into meaningful community engagement.

Nina’s career spans brand strategy, contemporary art, and development. She currently serves as Marketing Director at a climate tech startup, with a special focus on business development. As a strategic partner for World Within Studios, she built and rapidly scaled the nonprofit’s creator partnership program for an amplified ecosystem reach of 5 million potential impressions to drive awareness for a high-profile docuseries and attract new institutional donors. Her background in the contemporary art sector also includes advising high-net-worth collectors on acquisitions from a multi-million dollar private collection.

At The Mojave Institute of Photography, Nina leverages her background in donor relations and high-impact ecosystem building to cultivate the resources needed to advance land conservation through photography and education. To complement her professional experience with formal governance training, she is currently completing a CFRE-approved Certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising & Development through UC San Diego Extended Studies.

Nina holds a B.A. in Cultural Studies from Fordham University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. A resident of Joshua Tree, Nina is also a poet whose prose often explores the native textures and organic relations of the Mojave biome, a personal creative practice that fuels her deep dedication to preserving her local ecosystem.

Yasmine Pico
Artistic Director
yasmine@themojaveinstitute.org

Yasmine Pico is a photographer, advocate, and cultural entrepreneur exploring the line between ecological stewardship and artistic practice in the Mojave Desert. Yasmine's path to photography was shaped by decades immersed in creative communities on both coasts, from New York to Los Angeles, and a 30 year career as a costume designer, fashion stylist, and creative director.

That grounding in collaborative image-making and creative direction now informs still and moving images that document the delicate balance of land, light, and life across the desert's public and national parklands. Her ongoing study of desert plant ecology brings an interdisciplinary lens—part ecologist, part image-maker—to her work. Yasmine uses advocacy-driven photography projects to create community support for legislation, pairing documentary photography with public stewardship of place. Her work also places a lens on tourism paradox, not just in the desert, but also in delicate coastal environments.

The artist residency program she provides at her Joshua Tree property has helped to shape and inform ways to continually improve that service for photographers and how important community is in that process. As Artistic Director, Yasmine brings this dual fluency in image-making and creative leadership to Mojave Institute of Photography’s mission: safeguarding the photographic record of the Mojave Desert as both an artistic legacy and an act of conservation.

Albert Roman
Technical Director
albert@themojaveinstitute.org

Albert Roman is a technical photographer, digital imaging specialist, and visual technologist whose work bridges the disciplines of photography, engineering, and digital production. With more than 15 years of experience in commercial imaging, he has developed expertise in advanced camera systems, color science, digital asset management, photogrammetry, 3D imaging, and post-production workflows.

Throughout his career, Roman has contributed to high-profile commercial and technology-driven imaging projects, applying a meticulous, systems-based approach to solving complex visual challenges. His practice combines technical precision with creative innovation, allowing him to develop imaging solutions that meet the highest standards of accuracy, consistency, and visual excellence.

Driven by a passion for both emerging and historical photographic processes, Roman continually explores the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. His work reflects a commitment to advancing the field of photography through experimentation, technical mastery, and a deep understanding of the tools and processes that shape contemporary visual communication.