1998: Marita Holdaway

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01 June 2012 Written by  Randy Woods
Guests peruse image at the closing reception in 2009 for Seattle’s Benham Gallery, which was operated by Marita Holdaway for 22 years. Guests peruse image at the closing reception in 2009 for Seattle’s Benham Gallery, which was operated by Marita Holdaway for 22 years.
© Gary Halpern

After 14 years, we catch up with our past Photography Person of the Year award-winner, Marita Holdaway, to see how his career has progressed.

Much has changed since we last profiled the founder of Seattle's Benham Gallery. After running one of the premier photographic venues in the city for 22 years, Marita Holdaway closed the venerable institution at the end of 2009. In the 11 years since she earned the PPOY award, Holdaway estimates that she produced more than 200 exhibitions at Benham and abroad.

Holdaway produced a workbook titled "Vision to Vocation," which contains tips for photographers on pricing artworks and approaching appropriate venues to get their work seen and sold. She also served on the boards of Youth in Focus and the Blue Earth Alliance, and produced thought-provoking exhibitions that dealt with homelessness, war and other social plights.

Today, Holdaway lives in Washington state's San Juan Islands with her life partner, Fred Housel, and their two dogs, Castor and Pollux. She occasionally works as a consultant to artists and gives workshops and talks to various organizations. Though she is semi-retired, Holdaway has left an indelible mark on Seattle's photographic community.

"About one-third of our exhibitions were first-time shows for artists, including Phil Borges and Carolyn Kreig, giving them the opportunity to get their work out there," she says. "I think Benham helped the underdogs of the world get a better chance to be heard."

Learn more: maritaholdaway.com
Randy Woods
Story Author: Randy Woods

Randy Woods, editor of PhotoMedia, has been in the magazine publishing world for more than 20 years, covering such varied topics as photography, insurance, business startups, environmental issues and newspaper publishing. He is also associate editor for iSixSigma magazine and writes a job—search blog for The Seattle Times called “Hire Ground.”

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