Wendy Watriss


Wendy Watriss is an American photographer, curator, journalist, and writer.

Background

Watriss was born in San Francisco and spent most of her childhood between the East Coast of the US and Europe. Watriss graduated with honors from New York University. While living in Manhattan, Watriss met Fred Baldwin, her husband and artistic collaborator.

Career

As a journalist, Watriss covered the religious conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa, Women's Strike for Peace, Vietnam veterans and Agent Orange, and drug use in the US. She worked as a professional photographer from 1970 to 1992. Her work has been published in Life, Stern, Geo, Photoreportages, The New York Times, Bild, Christian Science Monitor, among others.
In 1983 Watriss co-founded FotoFest with Fred Baldwin, a photography exhibition recurring annually in Houston, Texas. She became the senior curator and Artistic Director of FotoFest in 1990 and has developed over 60 exhibitions during her tenure.
Watriss is the author of several books, including , co-authored with Lois Parkinson Zamora. Watriss' photography is included in collections at The Amon Carter Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Menil Collection; The Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin; Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris; Musée de la Photographie, Charleroi, Belgium, as well as in private collections.

Awards

Watriss has received awards from The World Press Foundation, Oskar Barnack Award, Missouri School of Journalism 'Pictures of the Year', The XI International Interpress Photo and The Women's International Democratic Federation. In 2013 Watriss received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Fine Arts Fair.