Two Women Who Shaped Houston's Art Scene for Decades
Wendy Watriss, 83, is stepping down from her role as cofounder of FotoFest, the influential international photography festival she launched in 1983 with her late husband Fred Baldwin and Petra Benteler. Fredericka Hunter, 80, closed Texas Gallery in February 2025 after 54 years of championing contemporary art in Houston. Both women have profoundly shaped the city's cultural landscape. Watriss, a former photojournalist, built FotoFest into a major biennial that emphasizes photography as a tool for social change. Hunter, alongside partner Ian Glennie, introduced Houston to artists like Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, and Donald Judd, and played a key role in establishing the Chinati Foundation in Marfa. Despite their achievements, neither has received the same recognition as male figures like Hugh Roy Cullen or John de Menil. Watriss remains board chair of FotoFest, while Hunter and Glennie have moved Texas Gallery's operations online and into an archive space.
Key facts
- Wendy Watriss co-founded FotoFest in 1983.
- FotoFest is a biennial international photography festival based in Houston.
- Watriss is stepping down from her leadership role at age 83.
- Fredericka Hunter closed Texas Gallery in February 2025 after 54 years.
- Texas Gallery was founded in 1972 by Hunter and Ian Glennie.
- Hunter helped establish the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, in 1986.
- Watriss won a major photography award in 1982 for her series on Agent Orange.
- Both women were influenced by Dominique de Menil.
Entities
Artists
- Wendy Watriss
- Fred Baldwin
- Fredericka Hunter
- Ian Glennie
- Helmut Newton
- Ed Ruscha
- Andy Warhol
- Claes Oldenburg
- Donald Judd
- Chuck Close
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Richard Serra
- James Rosenquist
- William Wegman
- Billy Al Bengston
- Lynda Benglis
- Brice Marden
- Melissa Miller
- Kermit Oliver
- Earl Staley
- Nic Nicosia
- James Surls
- Rachel Hecker
- Carl Palazzolo
- David McGee
- Nancy Graves
- Bennie Ansell
- Susan Meiselas
- Steven Evans
- Petra Benteler
- Richard L. Feigen
- Jean-Luc Godard
- James Johnson Sweeney
- Philip Johnson
- Larry McMurtry
- Ken Kesey
- Don Barthelme
- Ann Richards
- Dominique de Menil
- John de Menil
- Ima Hogg
- Lynn Wyatt
- Beyoncé
- Oveta Culp Hobby
- Emily Todd
- Gail Gross
- Jenard Gross
- Derek Bosier
Institutions
- FotoFest
- Texas Gallery
- Chinati Foundation
- Menil Collection
- Rice University
- University of St. Thomas
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
- National Geographic
- The New York Times
- The St. Petersburg Times
- Public Broadcast Laboratory
- PBS
- Wellesley College
- University of Madrid
- Sorbonne
- New York University
- University of Houston
- Contract Graphics
- River Oaks Shopping Center
- River Oaks Theatre
- Houston Chronicle
- Texas Monthly
Locations
- Houston
- Texas
- United States
- Galveston
- Montrose
- Grimes County
- Austin
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Marfa
- West Texas
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- Greece
- Madrid
- Spain
- Paris
- France
- Vietnam
- Chad
- Hungary
- Romania
- Korea
- Argentina
- Germany
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Europe
- American South
- Central Park
- River Oaks