Comer Collection Annual Exhibition and Lecture

The annual Comer Collection exhibition and lecture provides The University of Texas at Dallas community with an opportunity to experience visual art from a new perspective.

Each year, the collection hosts a visiting artist–typically a renowned photographer–who gives a public lecture, leads classes in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, and conducts portfolio reviews with students. In addition, the public is invited to see a collection of the artist’s work, as well as photos from the Comer Collection.

The Jerry and Marilyn Comer Photography Collection is an archive of nearly 2,000 photos, books and periodicals documenting American life from the mid- to late-20th century. The first of this collection was donated to UT Dallas by the Comers in 2004.

In 2021, Marilyn and Jerry Comer MS’77 contributed a new endowment to support the Jerry and Marilyn Comer Photography Collection, as well as the annual exhibition and lecture, in perpetuity. The donation also provided funding for the University to make future acquisitions (including the purchase of a work from the annual featured photographer) and for the collection’s director and a student researcher who work with the collection.

The Comers’ generosity and passion for photography helps advance the arts at UT Dallas through the annual exhibition and lecture and the ongoing education opportunities provided to students.

Learn more about the Comer Collection of Photography at UT Dallas.