Stephen Lehmer
Bio

Studied Architecture at Cornell University and the University of Nebraska with a minor in Fine Arts. While at Nebraska he enrolled in a photography class in the Department of Art to help him with his architectural studies. "The distance between concept and product was so compressed with photography rather than in architecture that I was able to produce and learn much faster. Moved to San Francisco in the late the 60's. Worked for International Paper Co. in their Package Design Division, "photographing your bowl of peas on your can of peas". By 1970 he enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute where he received a BFA in '72. His wife, daughter and he moved to Montana where he was Director of the Hockaday Center for the Arts. Later he became Director of the Instructional Media Center of Flathead Valley Community College, where he established the photography program within the Art Department of the college. Later he attended California Institute of the Arts where he received his MFA in '85. He has worked in the Art Department at UCLA since 1986 where he managed the Photography Area. He was also studio assistant to the internationally renowned artist Robert Heinecken from the mid 80's through the mid 90's. He has been Photographic Editor on numerous book projects. He has also been actively involved with various Native Americans for over 35 years, which has had a strong influence on his personal work.