Arizona's Center for Creative Photography Collection

[Randy Zipser]

The September, 2025, issue of Arizona Highways magazine has an article about a historical photography collection related to Arizona photography. This collection is housed in Tucson.

It reminded me of one of Warren Faidley's earlier posts about "chasing" haboob and monsoonal events over Arizona. Has anyone, especially Warren, ever seen this collection and would know whether the collection includes spectacular/unusual desert storm photography?

The AH article is attached below:

 

[Warren Faidley]

I've never seen the collection. As an Arizona alumni, I tired to have a show there years ago, but I was snubbed. Some of the collection (and exhibitions) is impressive, and some is "artistic" junk. After I was rejected, I saw an exhibition of Polaroids with idiotic things glued to them by a "photography PhD." I went outside and barfed, never to return.

 

[Randy Zipser]

Thanks for the report, Warren. I was curious because the article did not mention Arizona photographer legends like David Muench. Also, I know that Roger Hill has taken some really beautiful monsoon lightning displays and cloud formations over the years, as you had also done.

The Texas Tech archive is the largest collection of weather-related imagery in the Southwest U.S. that I'm aware of. I'm really surprised that the University of Oklahoma has never put together such a collection for tornado and severe-weather imagery...

 

[Warren Faidley]

Yes, David and Roger have taken some insane images. Part of the problem is that photography has died. I have not sold a print in over 15 years. The life span of printed goods (e.g. weather art) is measured in seconds now days. There is a flood of visuals (some extremely good) being constantly posted on social media, so the public no longer needs to visit exhibitions.