It is with deep regret that we inform you that The Friends of Photography closed all operations and exhibitions as of 10/31/01
We are pleased to inform you that our programs and assets are being transferred to other San Francisco Bay Area organizations for the ongoing benefit of our members and the public.
The Friends of Photography was a not-for-profit, member-supported international visual arts organization that operated the Ansel Adams Center for Photography in San Francisco. The Friends promoted visual literacy by presenting, analyzing and interpreting photography as the fundamental medium of visual experience.
The Friends of Photography was founded in 1967 in Carmel, California by Ansel Adams, Morley Baer, Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, Brett Weston, and other prominent artists and historians. After Adams’ death in 1984, The Friends moved from Carmel to San Francisco. In 1989, The Friends opened the Ansel Adams Center for Photography in the Yerba Buena Gardens cultural district.
Public Programs
In its 30-year history, The Friends has mounted more than 275 exhibitions; published more than 70 major catalogues, monographs and critical anthologies on photography; presented more than 200 intensive workshops and classes; and established two annual awards for outstanding emerging photographers. In addition, our education department has established a photography-in-the-schools program and other community-based outreach activities as part of the organization’s long-standing commitment to developing new and diverse audiences for photography.
Support
Our major supporters include the members of The Friends of Photography; Metropolitan Life Foundation; Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund; The San Francisco Foundation; California Arts Council, a state agency; The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; Gruber Family Foundation; Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation; Kodak Professional, a Division of Eastman Kodak Company; and Calumet Photographic, Inc.