History

The Malheur Photography Workshop was first started in 1985 by Terri Warpinski. Terri had recently moved from the University of Florida in Gainseville to the Northwest as the newly hired Assistant Professor of Photography at the University of Oregon. While exploring her new surroundings, She was immediately taken with the vast expanse of the Great Basin Desert landscape. Upon visiting the Malheur Field Station and noting their small darkroom facility, she decided that it would be an ideal location for a summer high desert workshop. A few years later she invited her colleague and previous photography professor, Jerry Dell from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, to team teach the workshop. As a native of Wisconsin herself it seemed like a natural choice. Jerry still remains involved with the workshop today. In 1998 Terri enjoyed the opportunity to invite two of her previous graduates from the UO Photography program to help carry the torch. The synergy from the connections between these faculty members is very much what makes the Malheur Photography Workshop unique.