
Since his early school days, Richard McWherter’s activities have included the learning, creating, exhibiting, and teaching of photography as a vital medium in visual art. He received his first opportunity by winning a scholarship to attend the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts while still in high school. McWherter’s photographs have since appeared in many regional and national exhibitions and have also been reproduced in national magazines for fine art photography.
In 1990 he received the top award for black and white photography from Photographer’s Forum magazine and his work appeared in the book The Best of Photography as a first-place winner. In 2014 he received the State Museum of Pennsylvania Purchase Art Award and participated in the Art Takes Times Square! Billboard Project in Manhattan. In 2015 he was part of an international showcase of photography at the Louvre Museum in France.
In 2021 he exhibited at the international Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography during the Barcelona Foto Biennale at the FotoNostrum Gallery in Barcelona, Spain (winning their Honorable Mention Award). Also in 2021 his work was shown at Kentucky's prestigious Louisville Photo Biennial at the Arts Alliance of Indiana in New Albany. His artwork has also appeared in international juried art and photography exhibitions both here and abroad, including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Budapest, Barcelona, Venice, and Rome.
As an educator, McWherter is dedicated to the continued artistic growth of all learners. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1993 from Seton Hill University with a major in Studio Arts and a minor in Art Education. In 2019 he retired as the Visual Arts Instructor at the high school in his hometown in Western Pennsylvania, where he also served as the Art Department Chair for many years. He has also taught photography and digital imaging at the University and other local art centers.
He has received many awards for his photographic art, as well as for his innovations in teaching, and in 2007 he was named the Art Educator of the Year by the Greensburg Area Cultural Council. He believes that creative thinking and inventive problem-solving skills are extremely important to the success of both individuals and society as a whole.
His commercial clients have included both regional and national corporations and institutions, as well as freelance assignments for family portraiture and groups. Currently, he works exclusively on self-assignments for galleries and book projects. His book projects are represented by his entrepreneurial venture, Walkwood Publishing. His books and artworks are available here online, as well as shows, galleries, art centers and gift shops. For more information, please visit his webpage at www.richardmcwherter.com, where you can view online portfolios of his work.
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