Member Profiles

James Pelletier

Impacting people's perception of the world has been the lifelong work of RFB&D member James Pelletier. An internationally-recognized artist and poet, the Winchendon, MA, resident has led an eclectic life that has taken him from the New York City streets to its skyline; from a study of art to a bachelor's degree in psychology; and from difficulties with learning in elementary school to sharing his poetry with young students in the classroom.

Diagnosed with a perceptual disability as an adult, James says he always knew he saw the world differently, even as a young child. While in elementary school, he was branded a "slow reader" and taunted by his classmates. James learned about RFB&D while attending Keene State College in New Hampshire, where he studied psychology. With RFB&D's help, he graduated in 2002 with a 4.0 grade-point average and a degree in psychobiology.

"RFB&D always had the books I needed. I studied by listening…while driving in my car. Some of the [medical] terminology is very difficult, so listening to it over and over again was very helpful."

As a young, struggling artist in New York, James supported himself as a distributor for the now-defunct SoHo Weekly News and Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. He is perhaps best-known for his "Night/Light" lightwork, in which the lighting in buildings across the New York City skyline was coordinated for an artistic display. The first edition, in 1976, celebrated the city's bicentennial Independence Day. The second, three years later, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the light bulb.

After the September 11, 2001, attacks, James volunteered at Ground Zero and coordinated a poetry and light tribute the following year. Entitled "Starry Night," the tribute featured more than 2,800 strobe lights - one for each victim from the World Trade Center - randomly twinkling from the windows of Battery Park's high rise buildings. At that time, James also founded the nonprofit Night/Light Fund, which provides emergency relief to creative people in the United States. Most recently, his fund helped the creative community of New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

James has also donated his artwork for auction to help troubled teens. Profits from the sale of his art have supported the Max's Kansas City Project's program "Damage Control," an alcohol and drug prevention program for teens. James has joined other members of the creative community, such as artists Peter Max and Robert Rauschenberg, composer Philip Glass, photographer Bob Gruen, and musicians Billy Idol and Blondie in their effort to stop alcohol and drug abuse.

As he looks to the future, James says his love of the creative process, and how it can benefit others less fortunate, will continue to drive everything he does. He also plans to share his art and poetry in more classrooms, where some students are facing the same roadblocks to learning that he once did. James is grateful to RFB&D for helping him when he needed it most.