Wendy Watriss

Wendy Watriss (born 1943) is an American photographer, curator, journalist, and writer.

Background Watriss was born in San Francisco and spent most of her childhood between the East Coast of the United States and Europe. She studied English and Philosophy and graduated with honors from New York University. Watriss then worked in Florida as a political reporter for two and a half years, and then returned to New York to work at a public television station for three years. In 1969 while living in Manhattan, Watriss met Fred Baldwin, her husband and artistic collaborator.

Career Watriss's first photojournalist assignment came in 1971 for Signature magazine, where she spent three months traveling in West Africa. Watriss has also done work for the United Nations. a photography exhibition recurring annually in Houston, Texas. She became the senior curator and Artistic Director of FotoFest in 1990 and has developed over 60 exhibitions during her tenure.

Watriss is the author of several books, including Image and Memory, Photography from Latin America 1866–1994, co-authored with Lois Parkinson Zamora. Watriss' photography is included in collections at The Amon Carter Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Menil Collection; The Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin; Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris; Musée de la Photographie, Charleroi, Belgium, as well as in private collections. Watriss, with Baldwin, also briefly taught at the University of Texas at Austin in a combined program with the Journalism and American Studies departments.

Awards Watriss has received awards from The World Press Foundation (The Netherlands), Oskar Barnack Award, Missouri School of Journalism 'Pictures of the Year', The XI International Interpress Photo and The Women's International Democratic Federation (Germany). In 2013 Watriss received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Houston Fine Arts Fair.