Ryan Weideman

Ryan Weideman (born 1941)^[1] is an American photographer, living in New York City, who photographed his passengers while working as a taxi driver there between 1981 and 2016.^[2][3] He produced a book of his photographs, In My Taxi: New York After Hours (1991). He also makes lithographic print-based art.

Weideman's photographic and lithographic prints are held in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum,^[4] Art Institute of Chicago,^[1] Harry Ransom Center,^[5] Museum of Fine Arts, Houston^[6] and Portland Art Museum.^[7] In 1992 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship for his photography.^[8]

Early life and education

Weideman grew up in the Midwestern United States.^[9] In 1973, he earned a BA in photography and printmaking from Long Beach State University at Long Beach, California.^[10] In 1975, he earned a MFA in the same subjects from California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. As of 1978 he was living in Oakland.^[2][11][12]

Life and work

In 1980, Weideman moved to New York City, living in an apartment in Times Square. From 1981, he took a job as a taxi driver and from that vantage photographed his passengers, while working from 5pm to 5am three or four nights a week. The rest of his time was spent developing film and making black and white prints. After the first six or seven years he included himself in the photographs. A book of this work, described in The Independent as "democratic, slice-of-life reportage", was published in 1991 titled In My Taxi: New York After Hours. Weideman stopped driving cabs in 2016 and as of 2018 was still living in the same apartment in Times Square.^[2][9][12]

He also makes lithographic print-based art.

Publications

• In My Taxi: New York After Hours. Thunder's Mouth, 1991. ISBN 978-1560250241.^[9]

Awards

• 1984/85: National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Grant for photography^{[10][better source needed]}
• 1986/87: New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, for photography^{[10][better source needed]}
• 1992: Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for photography^[8]

Collections

Weideman's work is held in the following permanent collections:

• Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY: 1 photographic print (as of 27 February 2023)^[4]
• Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL: 1 lighographic print (as of 27 February 2023)^[1]
• Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin: 3 photographic prints (as of 27 February 2023)^[5]
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX: 2 photographic prints (as of 27 February 2023)^[6]
• Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR: 21 photographic and lighographic prints (as of 27 February 2023)^[7]