Research Collection - Introduction
Access to archival materials is provided in the Research Center by appointment only. Each year, scholars, authors, and students conduct research at the Center for a wide range of projects including books, bibliographies, films, and dissertations focusing on American photography, as well as cultural studies, environmental history, music, and many other areas.
The research collection at the Center for Creative Photography includes the archival materials of over 200 twentieth-century photographers, more than any other institution in the nation. Archives typically include manuscripts, photographic materials, photographs, negatives, albums, work prints, audiovisual materials, contact sheets, correspondence, memorabilia and other unique artifacts relevant to the history of twentieth-century photography.
Finding Aids for some archives are available. Major archives include Ansel Adams, Josef Breitenbach, Wynn Bullock, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Otto Hagel and Hansel Mieth, Robert Heinecken, William Mortensen, Marion Palfi, Mickey Pallas, Jim Pomeroy, Aaron Siskind, Frederick Sommer, Laura Volkerding, W. Eugene Smith, and Edward Weston.
The Ansel Adams Research Fellowship, offered through a generous endowment provided by the Polaroid Corporation in honor of Ansel Adams, provides up to two annual Fellowships. Applications are due on October 31. List of recent Fellows (PDF).
The Index (PDF) to CCP's scholarly publication The Archive, is a comprehensive, cumulative index of the Center for Creative Photography [an earlier title] and The Archive from 1976 to 1994.
You must make an appointment to view materials in the archives.
Hours: Monday - Friday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Phone: 520-621-6273
Fax: 520-621-9444
Email: Research Center
The Research Center can answer brief reference questions about the archives, though it may take up to a few weeks to receive a full response, depending on the type of request.
The Institute for Photographic Research
The Institute for Photographic Research - a place where new knowledge about photography is created and shared, where the medium's history and traditions are studied, taught, and debated - attracts the best minds and ideas in the world of photography, and helps prepare the next generation of scholars and curators.
A doctoral program in photographic history and modern art offered through the University of Arizona School of Art provides talented candidates the highest quality instruction along with hands-on internship experience studying original materials at the Center. No better opportunities for preparing for a specialized career in the museum world or the academy exist.
The Institute also supports distinguished artists and scholars who come to campus to conduct research, lecture, offer critiques, consult with staff, and teach. Graduate students profit from informal colloquia and individual time with these experts, and in some instances the scholars publish their findings or organize exhibitions.