At 95, Bill Rauhauser remains one of Detroit's most accomplished photographers, though he is not widely known outside of local and national creative circles.
Last month, his fame was ratcheted up a bit when he became the 2014 Kresge Eminent Artist, receiving the $50,000 prize from the Kresge Foundation in recognition of his professional achievements, contributions to the cultural community and dedication to Detroit and its residents.
Paige Pflegler, who profiles Rauhauser in The Michigan Daily, the University of Michigan student publication, writes that he was 15 years old -- in 1933 -- when he bought his first camera. It cost 49 cents, and Rauhauser paid for it with money he saved from working at a small grocery store in Detroit.
Little did he know he would continue taking photos for the next 80 years, his craft evolving from a hobby to a gratifying and successful career that is archived through film.
In 1947, on a business trip to New York City, Rauhauser visited the Museum of Modern Art. He was particularly struck by an exhibit of photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson, and purchased a book about the photographer that included the quote: “Photography isn’t a hobby. It is the art of seeing.”
At the time, photography wasn’t a popular art form, but Rauhauser managed to connect with other photographers through camera clubs. It was there that he met the chair of the photography department at College for Creative Studies, and was offered a job teaching the history of photography as a night class.
“I knew right then and there that I needed to quit my job and I went to teach photography,” Rauhauser said. “I became completely immersed in Detroit’s art world.”
