Early life and education
Uelsmann, a native of Detroit, Michigan, credited his parents Norman (a grocer,1904-1962) and Florence (Crossman) Uelsmann (a homemaker, 1903–1986) for encouraging his creativity. His mother saved his artworks beginning in kindergarten and continuing into college. Uelsmann's father, whose hobby was photography, built a basement darkroom (circa 1948) to share with his two sons, Jerry and Robert. In high school he worked as a photographer for the school newspaper and later attended Rochester Institute of Technology earning a BFA degree in 1957. At RIT he was influenced by Minor White andEarly career
Uelsmann was recruited in 1960 by Van Deren Coke to teach at the University of Florida (Gainesville), one of the few universities offering photography as a concentration for fine arts majors. He taught at UF until his retirement in 1998. The first twenty years of his career (1960-1980) involved widespread success with numerous honors in education, writings, and exhibitions. In 1962, he was one of the founders of the Society of Photographic Education (SPE) which held annual meetings where educators, students and historians could share their ideas and images about photography's relationship to themselves and the world. Uelsmann delivered his first influential paper, “The Interrelationship of Image and Technique," at the SPE initial conference (1962 in Rochester, NY). His second paper, “Post-Visualization,” was presented in 1964 at the SPE in Chicago, IL. Some details on post-visualization and his technique of composite printing can be found below in Additional Notes and in his book ''Process and Perception.'' He had a career breakthrough in 1967 with a solo exhibition of photomontages at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. John Swarkowski was the director. Also, in 1967 he won a Guggenheim Fellowship for “Experiments in Multiple Printing Techniques in Photography”. With the grant, he worked on various techniques of printing and experimented with subtle colors from toners such as blues and browns. In 1968 he returned to the Museum of Modern Art to be included in “Photography as Printmaking”, directed byBertram Cox Memorial Lecture, 1971
Uelsmann was inducted (1970) as a fellow by theMid- to late-career
During his last four decades (1980 to 2022), Uelsmann regularly exhibited while publishing over twenty-five books about his work. A few of those achievements are summarized below. * In 1989 he had a fifty-print exhibition of recent work entitled “Jerry N. Uelsmann: Magic and Poetry in Photography” in Chicago, IL. One reviewer, Larry Thall, commented on Uelsmann's long-standing popularity and importance. The new work evoked his consistent themes and intriguing metaphors about birth, death and the journey in between. Larry Thall observed a heightened concern by Uelsmann regarding the environment. He mentioned photographs showing pristine nature with both congruent and incongruent aspects. For example, he referenced a photograph of the wilderness in Yosemite that, at first, looks normal. The central yet contradictory subject, an office desk on fire, is perfectly blended into the scene. * After retiring from the University of Florida in 1998, Uelsmann set new goals and kept a busy schedule. Although he had shown internationally since the 1970s, he increased his presence abroad in the 21st century. * In 2001–2002, Uelsmann participated in an extended interview with photographer,Style and technique
Uelsmann produced composite photographs with multiple negatives and extensive darkroom work. He operated up to a dozen enlargers to produce his final images drawing from a large archive of negatives. When beginning a photomontage, he had a strong intuitive sense of what he was looking for, some strategy for how to find it, and an understanding that mistakes are inevitable and are part of the creative process. His darkroom session began by studying his negatives. He covered a large drafting table with hundreds of proof sheets. He folded and overlapped various contact prints, explored the visual possibilities, then brought the options into his darkroom. The negatives he had chosen were placed into different enlargers. He moved the photo paper progressively down the line of enlargers building up an image. Uelsmann was a firm believer that the final image need not be tied to a single negative. Uelsmann's interpretations invite the viewer to interact with the subject. There are many right answers available when one is willing to contemplate the possibilities. ''Untitled'' (''Boat and Moon'') demonstrates his ability to seamlessly blend multiple photographs into one image that appears to reinvent reality. Partial chronologies on Uelsmann can be found in these two references.Critical response
Although many writers published positive, well documented remarks about Uelsmann, there were others who argued that his work was interesting but too manipulated to be photography. Many advocates of realism believed that a photograph should never be manipulated. Uelsmann was often his own humble critic. He commented in interviews that only 10 to 15 percent of his yearly output of 100-150 photographs stood the test of time according to his own judgement. Uelsmann, in an interview, talked about a cultural shift away from the poetic expressiveness of the counterculture and beat generation of the 1950s and 1960s that became obvious. For example, in photography he had witnessed a decline in surrealistic photographers being shown in major museums in the late 1970s and 1980s. However, he remained undaunted and devoted to his philosophy of being personal and finding truth within oneself. The digital age inadvertently created a new audience for Uelsmann. In the 1990s when Photoshop emerged with its seemingly endless image-altering possibilities, surrealism was revived. In the 21st century, a young generation of photographers became fascinated with Uelsmann's work. Uelsmann enjoyed sharing his experiences and seeing the photographs of young artists. His lecture at the Michener Museum in PA (2012) is one example that is available online.The students were impressed with his work ethic. They admired his extroverted personality, wit and patience which defined his career and was well summarized by several writers. According to Peter Bunnell, Uelsmann had a passion for people but also could sustain days alone in the darkroom. John Paul Caponigro suggested that Uelsmann's sense of humor and vivaciousness helped him deal with the darker side of life in his artwork. Music energized his darkroom including jazz, blues, rock and classical. Uelsmann memorized Broadway and popular tunes which he spontaneously sang even during social gatherings at his home or in lectures. He believed in angels (spirits) commenting about the science and mystery of angels in most religions. Several unique varieties of angels appear in his photographs. In contrast to Uelsmann's exuberance in everyday life, his photographs are rarely humorous. One example of humor is his photograph entitled ''Flamingos in Yosemite''. Some clues about the source of his ideas could be seen in Uelsmann's home. His multi-windowed, contemporary home was surrounded by majestic live oaks with their perpetual mystery. Huge, serpentine-shaped limbs often touch the ground then turn upwards. Uelsmann's sizable darkroom was filled with trinkets such as small toys, bric-a-brac, decals, old cameras, valentines, and pop culture icons (like Mickey Mouse) presenting a visual wonderland that served for laughter and ideas. He often photographed miniature items like the white toy boat that appeared in some of his images. One of the “boat” photographs (''Untitled'') shows an empty white boat surrounded by dark waters and a distant light (moon). It has sometimes been linked to Minor White's statement before dying, “a boat is waiting for me”. Uelsmann stated that this interpretation was one of many possibilities. He believed that messages (feelings) evoked from any image are derived from the experiences of the viewer.Personal life
Jerry Uelsmann was married three times in this order: Marilynn Kamischke (later Marilyn Schlott), Diane Farris, and Maggie Taylor. The marriages ended in divorce. With Diane Farris, he had one son, Andrew, and two grandchildren. He passed away on April 4, 2022 at the age 87 In Gainesville, FL.Museums
The collections of several major museums contain work by Jerry Uelsmann. Some of those museums are listed below with the number of works owned in 2022. * George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY. 330 photographs by Uelsmann * Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Bloomington, IN. 185 photographs by Uelsmann. * Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL. 153 photographs by Uelsmann * Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL. 69 photographs by Uelsmann * Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ. 24 photographs by Uelsmann * Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY. 26 photographs by Uelsmann. * Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. 3 photographs by Uelsmann. * Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY. 5 photographs by Uelsmann, * The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL. 33 photographs by Uelsmann. * Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA. 8 photographs by Uelsmann. * San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA. 11 photographs by Uelsmann. * Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. 21 photographs by Uelsmann. * Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. 2 photographs by Uelsmann. * Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan. 7 photographs by Uelsmann. * The Museum of Photography, Seoul, Korea. 1 photograph shown in highlights of collection. * Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. 8 photographs by Uelsmann. * Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. 6 photographs by Uelsmann. * National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. 1 photograph by Uelsmann. * North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC. 7 photographs by Uelsmann. * The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. 12 photographs by Uelsmann. * National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 24 photographs by Uelsmann. * Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX. 12 photographs by Uelsmann. * Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX. 24 photographs by Uelsmann. * Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI. 2 photographs by Uelsmann. * Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, FL. 5 photographs by Uelsmann. * National Gallery of Australia, Parkes ACT, Australia. 12 photographs by Uelsmann.Books by Uelsmann
The following list of books was made from searching World Catalog. ISBN numbers or OCLC numbers are included. * Uelsmann, Jerry and William E. Parker (Introduction). ''Eight Photographs'', Doubleday, NY 1970. OCLC 104831 * Uelsmann, Jerry and Peter Bunnell, ''Jerry N. Uelsmann'', Aperture, NY, 1970 OCLC number 1067615248 * Uelsmann, Jerry, Peter C. Bunnell (intro), Russell Edson (fables). .''Jerry N. Uelsmann'', Aperture and Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1970. OCLC 158145 * Uelsmann, Jerry and Peter C. Bunnell. ''Silver Meditations'', Morgan&Morgan, Dobbs Ferry, NY, 1975. ISBN 9780871000873 * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Jerry Uelsmann: Photographs from 1975-79'', Columbia College, Chicago, IL, 1980. OCLC number 63388176 * Uelsmann, Jerry and James Enyeart. ''Twenty-five Years: A Retrospective,'' New York Graphic Society, 1982.ISBN 9780821215197 * Uelsmann, Jerry and John Ames (essay). ''Process and Perception,'' University of Florida Press,1985.ISBN 9780813008301 * Uelsmann, Jerry and John L. Ward.''The Criticism of Photography as Art: The Photographs of Jerry Uelsmann'', UF Press, 1988 ISBN 9780813003030 * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Uelsmann/Yosemite'', University of Florida Press, Gainesville, FL, 1996. ISBN 9780813014449 * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Jerry Uelsmann: Photo Synthesis'', University of Florida Press, Gainesville, FL. 1996. ISBN 9780813011608 * Uelsmann, Jerry and Peter C. Bunnell. ''Museum Studies'', Nazraeli Press, Tucson, AZ, 1999.ISBN 9783923922727 * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Approaching the Shadow'', Nazraeli Press, Tucson, AZ, 2000. ISBN 9783923922796 * Uelsmann, Jerry and Alexander Alberro, and Nora M. Alter. ''Referencing Art'', Nazraeli Press, Tucson, AZ, 2003. OCLC number 607137786 * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Other Realities,'' Bulfinch Press, Boston, MA and London, 2005. ISBN 9780821257425 * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Meditation Navigation: Jerry Uelsmann 1961–2006,'' Marsillio Publishing, Venice, Italy, 2007. ISBN 9788831792431 * Uelsmann, Jerry, Maggie Taylor, Phillip Prodger, ''Maggie and Jerry: The Works of Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor,'' Seoul Museum of Photography, Seoul, Korea, 2007. OCLC number 297155764 * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Imaginary Space: Jerry Uelsmann Retrospective,'' Photographic Publishing House, Beijing, China, 2007. ISBN 9787802360877 * 想象的时空 : 杰利 ·尤斯曼回顾 = Imaginary spaces: Jerry Uelsmann retrospective / * Xiang xiang de shi kong : Jieli Yousiman hui gui = Imaginary spaces: Jerry Uelsmann retrospective * Uelsmann, Jerry and Maggie Taylor. ''Just Suppose: Photographs by Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylo''r, University of Florida Press, Gainesville, FL, 2007 OCLC number 503296934. * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Whispers of Blended Shadows: The Art of Jerry Uelsmann,'' Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, 2008. ISBN 9789860155389 * Uelsmann, Jerry and A.D. Coleman. ''Prima Facie: The Photography of Jerry Uelsmann,'' See+Gallery, Beijing, China, 2008. ISBN 9789881787675 * Uelsmann, Jerry, and Phillip Prodger. ''The Mind's Eye: Photographs by Jerry Uelsmann'', ModernBooks Edition, 2010.ISBN 9780980104448 * Uelsmann, Jerry and Ted Orland. ''Dances with Negatives'', Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA. OCLC number 779852844 2011 * Uelsmann, Jerry. ''Synchronistic Moments'', Paci Arte Publishing, Brescia, Italy, 2011. ISBN 9788860571151 * Uelsmann, Jerry and Steven Brown (poet),& producers of these handmade books. ''Moth and Bonelight,'' 21st Editions, South Dennis, MA, 2011 OCLC number 708253990 * Uelsmann, Jerry and Carol McCusker (intro). ''Uelsmann Untitled: A Retrospective,'' Univ.of Florida Press, 2014. ISBN 9780813049496References
External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Uelsmann, Jerry 1934 births 2022 deaths Photography academics Photographers from Michigan Artists from Detroit Artists from Florida Indiana University Bloomington alumni Rochester Institute of Technology alumni University of Florida faculty 20th-century American photographers 21st-century American photographers