From 1972 to 1984, the Detroit Historical Museum partnered with the Center for Creative Studies (today the College for Creative Studies) to create the Documenting Detroit photography series.
The students, taught by prolific Detroit photographer Bill Rauhauser, explored aspects of documentary photography using the people and landscape of Detroit as their subjects. Many of the photographs were exhibited at the museum, and all became part of the permanent collection. Several students featured in this exhibition went on to professional careers in photography, such as Dave Jordano and Carla Anderson.
Documentary photography aims to chronicle the world around us from the exciting to the mundane. For a street photographer like Rauhauser, the beauty of the image in in its uniqueness. Not only is the moment gone forever once the photograph is taken, but each viewer will find different personal meaning in the photo.
