Revisiting UTA Art Department Archives

In December 2024, Visual Resources Curator and art history adjunct faculty Lilia Kudelia became a recipient of the Center for Creative Photography Research Fellowship. During her trip to CCP Archives in Tuscon, Arizona, Kudelia focused on the archival collection of the former UTA professor and renowned artist Jim Pomeroy (1945-1992). Pomeroy taught film, video and performance at the UTA Art & Art History Department from 1987 until 1992 when he passed away unexpectedly. His papers and projects were organized by a group of close friends and artists at his house in Arlington, TX and donated to the Center for Creative Photography in 1996.

In Spring 2025 semester, students in Lilia Kudelia’s art history seminar Contemporary Art and The Archive (ART 4396-002) were introduced to her research findings and Pomeroy’s archival materials held at the Center for Creative Photography collection. The class worked together to develop a proposal for a future exhibition that will reflect on Jim Pomeroy’s legacy, significant works that marked his prolific career, and unfinished projects. Students participated in oral history interviews with Pomeroy’s former colleagues and went on a field trip to the Amon Carter Museum to expand their knowledge on Pomeroy’s interest in stereophotography and innovative photographic technologies. Kudelia and UTA students will continue to collaborate with artists in DFW area and the Center for Creative Photography archivists in Arizona to develop the exhibition.