At 95 years old and with a photography career spanning more than six decades, there’s not much Detroit native Bill Rauhauser hasn’t seen. But then he got a call last month telling him that he’d been chosen to receive the Kresge Foundation’s prestigious Eminent Artist Award – and the $50,000 prize that goes with it.
“That was the biggest surprise of all,” Rauhauser said during a phone conversation from his home and photography studio in Southfield.
“Being chosen for this is really important to me,” he added. “I’ve had a great, full life, but things have been opening up recently. This takes it to another level.”
The award is generally considered the top annual honour bestowed upon a metro Detroit artist. Its $50,000 purse is part of the Troy-based foundation’s commitment to local arts and culture. Over six years, Kresge has doled out $2.5 million to 90 visual, performing and literary artists living in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, both through its Eminent Artist selection and annual fellows program. It also funds a variety of arts groups and organizations.
Rauhauser’s iconic black-and-white photographs – shot mostly on the streets of Detroit – have been displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. They are currently on display at the Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago.
The University of Detroit graduate also has shown his work and curated exhibitions at the Detroit Institute of Arts, where he serves as artist adviser for the board of directors of the department of prints, drawings and photographs. “Over the years, I’ve just walked around Detroit keeping an eye open waiting for something to happen, something significant,” he said. “And I loved every minute of it.”
His photos are known for featuring natural angles and framing, a storyteller’s approach and the black-and-white contrasts that can be hallmarks of both fine art and documentary photography.
Rauhauser said that one of his life’s greatest joys has been taking the lessons he’s learned as a street photographer into the classroom, where he shared his imagery, experiences and philosophies for more than 30 years with photography students attending the College for Creative Studies. He also taught at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan.
“Bill Rauhuaser doesn’t just make art with his camera, he makes it with his eyes, his head and his heart,” Michelle Perron, Kresge Arts in Detroit director, said via e-mail.
Source: www.freep.com