of The Friends of Photography. During the early
years (1967–1972) exhibitions were organized by a
committee headed by Wynn Bullock. With the for-
mation of a paid staff, the position of curator was
established and made responsible for organizing all
exhibitions or inviting special guest curators.
As the organization grew, so did its breadth of
publications. As an early form of communicating
news to members, mimeographed newsletters were
sent out to members (eight between 1970 and
1972). Beginning in January 1978 and running
until December 1986 a monthly publication titled
The Newsletter of The Friends of Photographywas
mailed to its members. From January 1987 through
spring 2001,Review, Newsletter of The Friends of
Photographywas distributed to members monthly.
In 1972, The Friends of Photography released its
Untitledseries; over the subsequent 22 years, 58
issues were published and beginning in the late
1970s, each issue focused on one artist or theme
with a unique design to complement the content.
Each member received a copy ofUntitledand indi-
vidual titles were also available for sale. Beginning
in autumn 1994, and running until spring, 1996 The
Friends published for their memberssee: a journal
of visual culture, which included photography, crea-
tive writing, and criticism.
With the death of Ansel Adams in 1984, The
Friends of Photography began a search for a new
location in San Francisco. Named the Ansel
Adams Center, this facility opened in 1989, and
was first located on Pier 1 at Fort Mason before
relocating to the Yerba Buena Center, where it had
five exhibition spaces and an extensive photogra-
phy bookstore. The final location was 655 Mission
Street in San Francisco.
Conceived of as a living and growing education-
al force, education through, The Friends had a tre-
mendous impact on the whole community from
children to seniors. Beginning in 1969 The Friends
held educational seminars and workshops focused
on practical photography skills. Over the history of
the group, educators involved included Adams,
Morley Baer, photo historians and critics Peter Bun-
nell and Andy Grundberg, Linda Conner, Imogen
Cunningham, Robert Dawson, Rod Dresser, Lee
Friedlander, Emmet Gowin, Michael Kenna, Mark
Klett, Annie Leibovitz, Ellen Manchester, Sally
Mann, Richard Misrach, Lisette Model, Wright
Morris, Olivia Parker, Meridel Rubenstein, John
Sexton, Ruth Thorne-Thompsen, Al Weber, and
Jack Welpott.
Specific goals of the education and outreach
program included the promotion of visual literacy
and the implementation of innovative programs
that used photography to increase involvement
with local communities. Some of the programs
sponsored by The Friends included: The Look
Again! program that promoted museum/school
collaboration; Hands on History of Photography
aimed at familiarizing high school students with the
history of the medium; Workshops for Educators
were one-day sessions aimed at primary and sec-
ondary teachers accompanied by Resources for
Educators, which provided hands-on educational
materials free of charge; designed for grades 4– 8
was Ansel Adams’ Curriculum Resource for Tea-
chers focused on Adams’ accomplishments in
photography. In the late 1990s, The Friends
offered free photography classes for children,
youth, and adults through Community Partner-
ships with Bayview Opera House, Ruth Williams
Memorial Theater, and Horace Mann Academic
Middle School.
On October 31, 2001, due to rising rent costs in
San Francisco and budgetary deficiencies, The
Friends of Photography closed all operations and
exhibitions. All of the group’s assets were distribu-
ted among other organizations. The San Francisco
Art Institute received the 3,000-volume library, the
archives and records were given to the University of
Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography, and
The Oakland Museum of California adopted the
education program operating with funds from The
Friends of Photography Education Endowment.
RebeccaMorse
Seealso:Abbott, Berenice; Adams, Ansel; Alvarez
Bravo, Manuel; Atget, Euge`ne; Callahan, Harry;
Caponigro, Paul; Center for Creative Photography;
Cunningham, Imogen; Davidson, Bruce; Gowin,
Emmett; Heinecken, Robert; Hine, Lewis; Jones,
Harold; Jones, Pirkle; Lange, Dorothea; Leibovitz,
Annie; Morris, Wright; Newhall, Beaumont;
Rauschenberg, Robert; Strand, Paul; Teske,
Edmund; Uelsmann, Jerry N.; Welpott, Jack; Wes-
ton, Edward; White, MinorFurther Reading
Alinder, James G., ed.Light Years: The Friends of Photo-
graphy 1967–1987. Carmel, California: Untitled 43, The
Friends of Photography, 1987. http://www.friendsof-
photography.org (accessed May 8, 2005).
Baker, Ken. ‘‘Influential Photo Group Dissolved.’’San
Francisco Chronicle, 2 March 2004.
Newhall, Nancy. Introduction toPortfolio I: The Persis-
tence of Beauty. Carmel, California: The Friends of
Photography, 1969.FRIENDS OF PHOTOGRAPHY