We celebrate the life of Bill Wittliff and mourn his loss. It was a honor to have two TPS exhibitions showcased at The Witliff Collections galleries of Texas State University between 2004 and 2015.
To jury the TPS Members’ Show, Bill Wittliff reviewed over 1000 photographs by 193 photographers. He selected 60 images by over 40 artists for a February/March 2004 exhibition at The Witliff Collections, its first hosting of a TPS exhibition. It was one of the few instances where the gallery had exhibited color photographs. The award recipients were Robin Renee Hix, Laura Jean Zito and Tara C. Patty.
Dr. David L. Coleman juried TPS 24: The International Competition for the exhibition on view in June/July 2015. He selected 50 images by 49 photographers and gave awards to Thomas Foster, Leba Marquez and Jesse I. Eisner-Kleyle.
On the occasion of the passing of this “giant among men” who contributed so much to the field of photography, we asked three individuals to give remembrances of the man they knew so well.
— Sarah Sudhoff, TPS Executive Director
Keith Carter, photographer, Beaumont, TX
“Bill Wittliff was a modern day Renaissance man — a wonderful writer with a wide-ranging mind, who had a deep love of the photographic arts, and a big heart. He remains one of the most remarkable men I have ever known. (His passing) leaves a big hole in the world."
Dr. David L. Coleman, Director, The Wittliff Collections, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
“I came to The Wittliff in October 2011, and most of my days began with a call from Bill Wittliff. After he and Sally received honorary doctorates from Texas State In 2014, I’d always greet him with “Doctor, good morning,” and he’d reply in kind. Bill loved to check in and discuss all things having to do with “the Collections.” I have dearly missed those calls. The outpouring of tributes on the web and social media has been remarkable — to us the accolades validate the clarity and power of Bill’s vision for who he was and what he valued. The Wittliff Collections are a big part of that, and it stands as a testament to his commitment to the creative culture of Texas and the Southwest.
All of this underscores the importance and value of our mission. Bill visited The Wittliff the week before he passed, and he was able to see the beginnings of our expansion construction. He was very excited, and he could easily envision our upcoming Texas Music, Treasures, and Edward Curtis galleries — not just on paper, but in the real space.
Bill and Sally have been involved from the very beginning of our planning, and it’s gratifying to know that Bill helped to craft our entire expansion, which will eventually encompass the whole of the top floor of the Albert B. Alkek Library.
We are deeply honored to celebrate and sustain Bill’s truly visionary legacy. This fall, we will be mounting two special exhibitions to honor him: a retrospective of Bill’s extraordinary photography, plus an exhibit devoted to J. Frank Dobie, the master storyteller whose manuscripts became the genesis of The Wittliff Collections more than 30 years ago.”
Carla Ellard, Photography Archivist, Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection,The Wittliff Collections
“Bill Wittliff had a spirit of generosity and was always quick with a compliment. He would always call after an exhibition opening to let me know how much he enjoyed the exhibit and how it was curated and arranged. A handful of times, I introduced photographers and welcomed everyone at our events. Not being a natural public speaker, it was obvious in my crackling voice or long awkward pauses. … Bill would call and compliment me on my job and trying to make me feel better, he would always joke that he wasn’t a great public speaker, either.
Bill was a mentor. He always emphasized how important it is to be straightforward and honest when communicating with photographers, whether we are accepting their photography or not. He always enjoyed looking at new work by photographers and was eager to find new images that would ‘sing a new song.’
Bill’s passion was photography — especially making pinhole photographs. He would replace the lenses of old cameras with simple pinholes and created what he called ‘tragaluz’ photographs—loosely translated as ‘light-swallowing’. More recently, he used tall-boy beer cans or pvc pipe as pinhole cameras to create solargraphs.
Bill had a love for Mexican culture and history. He had photographed Mexico since the 1970s. During the past year, Bill reviewed a series he endearingly called “Mexico Lindo” (Beautiful Mexico) and donated a large number of prints to The Wittliff.
To honor his legacy as a photographer, The Wittlif Collections is working with Joe Pat Davis to curate Blessings and Besos: The Photographs of Bill Wittliff. This retrospective exhibition of his photography, to open in September, will showcase his Vaquero, Lonesome Dove, Solargraph and his Mexico Lindo series.
Alkek Library | Texas State University
601 University Drive | San Marcos, TX 78666
512.245.2313 | Witliff Collection