Richard McWherter

Since his early school days, Richard McWherter’s activities have included learning, creating, exhibiting, and teaching 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.
My “roots” are among the forests. Since I was a young child, the woods have nourished and sustained me. And even now, through all these years, it has been my sanctuary. “

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 photography showcase 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). His artwork has also appeared in international juried art and photography exhibitions here and abroad, including in 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 Richard 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.