Few figures loomed as large over the art world in the Inland Empire than Douglas McCulloh. It is unfortunate news that we must mark his passing. Doug died on Sunday, January 5, after a brief illness at his home with his wife per his wishes.
Above all, Doug was an artist. He carried this role into all aspects of his life. Never being afraid to look at a situation with the curiosity and creativity that his art required. He would often bring this stance to his work as the Interim Executive Director at UCR ARTS: The California Museum of Photography and Culver Center for the Arts after having served as the museum's senior curator. He also served as a longtime artist representative to the board of the Riverside Art Museum and curated social justice-themed exhibitions for the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California. At these and many other local institutions, his support burned brightly and will continue to better the local community.
Formally, as an artist, he worked in photography. His work followed a systems-based approach, setting himself a goal or guidelines to guide the practice and often relying on high-volume shooting to produce projects that documented and engaged directly with the world he saw and its inherent randomness. His works have found homes in both local and wide-ranging institutions. They are housed both at UCR ARTS and Riverside Art Museum alongside the Huntington Library, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and Bibliotheque Nationale de France, among others. We recommend diving into a review of his work written by the Los Angeles Times here about a show presented at the California Museum of Photography in 1998.
As a curator and museum director within the Inland Empire, Doug championed the works of hundreds, if not thousands, of artists. They ranged from solo shows of important local artists to group shows like the timely Facing Fire: Art, Wildlife, and the End of Nature in the West. One of his most groundbreaking was In the Sunshine of Neglect: Defining Photographs and Radical Experiments in Inland Southern California, 1950 to the Present. This show, mounted in 2019, looked at 54 photographers and 194 individual works spanning seven decades, focusing on the artists' engagement with the Inland Empire. For many in the region, it brought recognition to a community and to artists that, as Doug pointed out, had often been neglected as peripheral to larger cities and art centers. A wonderful write-up by local writer and collaborator Susan Straight can be found here.
The last exhibition he curated, Lost in the Wilderness: Ansel Adams in the 1960s, was finished in mid-December, and he was able to see it and give a tour to his colleagues, actually, more accurately, his dear friends. It masterfully encapsulates Doug's energy. He looks at one of America's best-known photographers but looks to the under-known and misunderstood works. It answers many questions but prompts viewers to ask even more and question what we see and don't see in the world around us.
In lew of flowers, Douglas's partner asks that donations be directed toward the memorial scholarship set up at UCR. In this way his influence will continue to influence the next generation of photographers within our local community. Please find more information and donate here.
He is survived by his spouse, Dawn Hassett, his brothers and sister, the staff at UCR ARTS, and the many artists whose works he championed over the years.
Timothy LeBlanc has been a Riverside resident for nearly 15 years, spending much of that time a proud member of the city's vibrant and ever growing arts community.
