DEBORAH KLOCHKO
Johann Zahn, 1685

Director Emeritus—Museum of Photographic Arts
Special Projects Consultant
Visual Literacy, I.N.C., Innovative New Concepts
c. 510-504-1539 vislit@ix.netcom.com

Deborah Klochko was the Lawrence S. Friedman Executive Director and Chief Curator of theMuseum of Photographic Arts from 2006-2023. She has taught, lectured and written
extensively on photography and has curated more than 35 exhibitions throughout hercareer. Klochko was the executive editor of See, an award-winning journal of visual culture,and is the founder of Speaking of Light: Oral Histories of American Photographers. She is theauthor of Picturing Eden and co-authored both Moment of Seeing: Minor White at theCalifornia School of Fine Arts and Create and Be Recognized: Photography on the Edge, inaddition to 15 other publications and numerous essays. Most recently, Klochko curated thetraveling exhibition Moment in Time: A Collection of Photographs for Bank of America, TheTime Between: The Sequences of Minor White, Encounters: Photographs by Jed Fielding,
Storyteller: Work by Holly Roberts, and Picture This: Recent Acquistions.
Throughout her career, Klochko has been an advocate for photography as a means of globalengagement and communication. It is a medium that works across cultures, language,gender, and is multi-generational. She has worked with groups, organizations, and museums
in Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, Eastern Europe, England, Ireland and Russia throughexhibitions, workshop presentations, and lectures. In addition, she was an early supporter ofCEC ArtsLink which provided fellowships to Eastern European artists and arts managers.
Klochko also established the Global Education Initiative for the Museum of Photographic Arts
which presented youth workshops on photography in India, Rwanda, and Mexico.
Formerly the director of The Friends of Photography, located at the Ansel Adams Center, she
has also worked at the California Museum of Photography; the International Museum ofPhotography and Film at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York; and the Printsand Photographs Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
§Ms. Klochko has over 40 years of experience in photography museums as an educator,director and curator. She drove the Museum’s legacy of inspire, educate and engage
the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection and preservation ofphotography, film and video.

§In addition to presenting compelling exhibitions she changed our community byteaching people how to read images one picture at a time. Inspire, educate and engage
are her top three actions. Ms. Klochko has a passion and a gift for telling stories while
continuing the tradition of innovation that defined photography.

§Ms. Klochko created new narratives and brought to San Diego global issues making
each exhibition a cultural conversation and a learning opportunity. She invitedaudiences to think critically, challenge assumptions and enjoy making connections thathelp us better understand the world in which we live.

§She promotes humanity through life-long learning initiatives and significantly developed
the Museum of Photographic Arts holdings adding a Pacific Rim focus to exhibitions
and collection acquisitions.

§As strong advocate of diversity, empathy and equality Klochko’s major initiatives
included the Pay What You Wish admission, the screening of Human Rights Watch Film
Festival for 14 years and she grew the Youth Exposure and SEPIA seniors learning
programs.

Ms. Klochko received her Master of Arts in Teaching, Museum Education at George
Washington University in Washington, DC and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from theVisual Studies Workshop (SUNY) in Rochester, New York.