A Moment of Silence

We were terribly saddened yesterday to hear of the passing of Terry Toedtemeier, curator of photography at the Portland Art Museum for more than 20 years. As the Museum's first curator of photography, he assembled a collection of more than 5,000 images for the Museum which chronicle the history of photography. Most recently, in collaboration with John Laursen, he produced the spectacular book Wild Beauty: Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge, 1867-1957, the basis for the current exhibit at the Museum. Prior to joining the Museum, Terry was one of the founding artists of the Blue Sky Gallery in 1975 and served as its co-director. As a photographer, he particularly liked to explore the spectacular geology of the Pacific Northwest, building on his degree in earth science from Oregon State University.

Terry was a native Portlander whose Oregon ancestry dated back to the pioneer migration along the Oregon Trail in the 1850s. His passion for the geology and history of the Columbia River Gorge, for the history of photography, and for the beauty of the world that surrounds us was evident when he spoke at the launch of Wild Beauty.

Our condolences to Terry's friends and family, and also to his collaborator on Wild Beauty, John Laursen.