Geoff Winningham
Geoffrey Lea Winningham (born March 4, 1943) is an American photographer, journalist, and filmmaker best known for his photographs and documentary films focusing on Texas and Mexican culture. Geoff's work was first recognized in the early 1970s when he published the book Friday Night in the Coliseum, featuring his photographs of professional wrestling and recorded conversations with wrestlers and fans.  The book was followed in 1972 by a 16mm, black and white documentary film of the same title.  Over the course of his career he has received two Guggenheim Fellowships, five grants from the National Endowment  for the Arts, and numerous commissions. He has lived in Houston, Texas, and taught photography in the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts at Rice University since 1969. In addition, he directs the Pozos Art Project, Inc., a non-profit enterprise offering art and photography opportunities to children in Texas and in Mexico. Early life and education. Geoff Winningham was born on March 4, 1943, in Jackson, Tennessee. At the age of 13, he became fascinated with cameras, immersed himself in photography, found a part-time job as a studio and darkroom assistant, built a darkroom in his family home , and made his first photo-book, a handmade volume of portraits of his friends. At the age of 14, he left home to continue his secondary education as a boarding student at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee. In 1961 he moved to Houston, Texas, to study at Rice University, majoring in English literature.  While studying at Rice he renewed his interest in photography, encouraged by several English professors, most notably Professor Gerald O'Grady, his first and most important mentor. After earning his bachelor's degree from Rice, he entered the Master's program at the IIT Institute of Design  in Chicago, Illinois, where he studied with Aaron Siskind, Arthur Siegel, and Wynn Bullock, completing his MS degree in 1968.