Biosketch

P e t e r   L.   K r e s a n

Photographer / Interpretive Naturalist / Senior Lecturer in Geosciences
pkresan@kresanphotography.com

Geosciences & Natural History Background

Instructor for numerous introductory courses, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona (1975-2005). Retired in 2005 as a Senior Lecturer in Geosciences. Co-instructor for two University of Arizona Humanities Seminars in 2014 and 2016.

Teaching Awards

  • The College of Humanities, Superior Teaching Award, 2015   
  • Honors College Award for Service, Spring, 2004
  • Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2004
  • College of Science Distinguished Teaching Award, Spring, 1996
  • Bobcat's Outstanding Faculty Award, Spring, 1994
  • Honorary member, Golden Key National Honor Society
  • Five-Star Faculty Award, Honors Program, University of Arizona, Spring, 1991
  • Citation Award, University of Arizona Mortar Board, Spring, 1991
  • Faculty of Science Innovation in Teaching Award, University of Arizona, Spring, 1989
  • Bucknell University Alumni Fellow, Spring, 1983

Public and Advisory Service

  • Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Board Member and President, 1988-1992
  • Consultant and naturalist on camera for ten PBS Desert Speaks TV Programs, 1995-2002
  • Field Instructor for NSF-REU and YSP programs, Juneau Icefield Program, 1993
  • Consultant and reviewer for the EarthInquiry Projest, W.H. Freeman & Co. and American Geological Institute, 2001-2002
  • Presenter for numerous public lectures on natural history
  • Coordinator, Junior Education Program, Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Tucson, Arizona

Photography

Stock Images

35mm, 6x7, 4x5 color and black & white images, aerials, film and digital copy, plus digital video. Coverage includes: North America, Argentina, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, China, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Iceland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Turkey, Norway, Scotland, Greece.

Specialties

Nature, travel, landscapes, national parks and monuments, archeology, deserts, environment, wildflowers, design, abstract, fine art, and extensive coverage of geological features and processes, including volcanism, geysers, avalanches, floods.

Credits

My photo work is published in the following: Magazines, including Arizona Highways, Astronomy, Audubon, Geo Magazine, Geotimes, Geological Society of America, Natural History, Esquire, New York Times; and Book Publishers, including Arizona Highways, Britannica, W. H Freeman, West, McGraw-Hill, National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Saunders, Sierra Club, Time-Life, Wiley, Oxford Press.

Other photo work includes: calendars, greeting cards, posters, museum displays, advertising, TV media, interior design, multimedia shows, and instructional slide sets for Understanding Earth, published by W. H. Freeman, geosciences college textbook.

Credentials

  • Freelance & Stock Photographer, Tucson, 1976 to present.
  • Contributing editor for Arizona Highways Magazine, 1984-1987.
  • council member (1986-1992) and Board President (1991-1992).
  • Consultant and naturalist for ten The Desert Speaks TV programs KUAT/PBS TV, filmed on location, 1995-2002.
  • Featured Photographer, Arizona Highways Magazine, August, 1981.
  • Consultant / Photographer for Arid Lands, Time-Life Books Planet Earth series, 1984.
  • Photographer & author of three editions of Slide Set with Lecturer Notes for Understanding Earth, published by W. H. Freeman & Company, N.Y., 1997-2003.​
  • Co-author of three editioins of the Student Study Guide and Instructor's Resouce Manual for Understanding Earth, published by W. H. Freeman & Company, N.Y., 200-2006.

Exhibitions

One Person and Small Group

  • Cochise College, Sierra Vista, AZ (October, 2014)
  • Arizona Centennial Exhibit at Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ (2012)
  • Tucson Pima Art Council, Pioneer Building Art Exhibit, Tucson, AZ (2011)
  • Pattern and Rhythm Exhibit, Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ (2011)
  • The Desert Life Photography Exhibit, Phoenix Center for the Arts, Phoenix, AZ (2010)
  • Illuminations, Tucson International Airport Gallery, Tucson, AZ (2010)
  • 30th Anniversary Show, Davis Dominguez Gallery, Tucson, AZ (2006)
  • Southwest Waterways, Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ (2002)
  • Carved in Stone, Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ (2000)
  • Untitled, Tucson International Airport, Tucson, AZ (1989)
  • Artist of the Month Gallery, Unitarian Church, Tucson, AZ (1985)
  • Untitled, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA (1983)
  • Natural Light Solo Exhibit, Davis Gallery, Tucson, AZ (1982)
  • T.A. Griffin & Peter Kresan, Davis Gallery, Tucson, AZ (1980)
  • Illuminations Solo Exhibit, The Hang-Up Gallery, Tucson, AZ (1979)
  • Tucson Artists, Dinnerware Gallery, Tucson, AZ (1977)
  • Natural Light, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (1977)
  • Untitled, Leprechaun Wall Gallery, Phoenix, AZ (1977)
  • Centered Images, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (1975)

Invitational Exhibitions

  • Art of Water, Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ (January - July, 2019)
  • Tohono Chul Galleries, In Full Bloom, Tucson, AZ (Spring, 2016)
  • Tohono Chul Galleries, The Sky Above, Tucson, AZ (Summer, 2015)
  • Tohono Chul Galleries, Sonoran Desert: large and small, Tucson, AZ (Winter, 2015)
  • Tohono Chul Galleries, Small Works Exhibition, Tucson, AZ (Fall, 2014)
  • Tohono Chul Park Sky Islands Exhibit, Tucson, AZ (2014)
  • Birds, Blooms and Bugs, Phoenix Airport, Phoenix, AZ (2013-2014)
  • Tohono Chul Park Holiday for the Park Exhibit, Tucson, AZ (2012)
  • Arizona Centennial Exhibition, Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ (2012)
  • Small Works Invitational, Davis Dominguez Gallery, Tucson, AZ
  • (2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2002)
  • Timeless Images, Arizona Highways traveling exhibit, AZ (1990)
  • Tucson Today Photographic Exhibit, Arizona Historical Society, Tucson, AZ (1989)
  • Photography Southwest Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ (1978)
  • Photo Biennial, Phoenix Museum of Art, Phoenix, AZ (1976)

Collections

  • Marana Clinic, Marana, AZ
  • Arizona Medical Center, Tucson, AZ
  • Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, Bisbee, AZ
  • International Business Machine, Tucson, AZ
  • Lear Jet, Tucson, AZ
  • Territorial Bank, Tucson, AZ
  • Dan Leach Collection, Tucson, Arizona

Presentations, Workshops, Lectures

  • Co-instructor, University of Arizona Humanities Seminar on the Natural History of the Colorado Plateau, Tucson, AZ (2014 & 2016).
  • Exploring Sky Islands UA Science Lecture Series, "A Visual Tour of Sky Islands in Southeastern Arizona", Saddlebrooke, AZ (Fall, 2013)
  • What Makes a Desert?, photo lecture, Cool Waters Exhibition, Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ (October, 2002)
  • Edges, multimedia presentation, Davis Dominguez Gallery Special Event (March, 1999)
  • Trekking & Touring in Tibet, Nepal and the High Himalayas, multimedia slide lecture, The Summit Hut, Tucson, AZ (September, 1998)
  • Crossing the Top of the World from Tibet to Nepal, The Branner Club, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (May,1997)
  • Designs in Nature, Cal State University, Northridge, CA (May, 1997)
  • Explore the Design of Arizonn's Landscape Through Aerial and Ground Photography, Center Stage Presentation, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (March, 1990)
  • Co-instructor, Chiricahua Photo Adventure, Arizona Highways Magazine Photo Adventures, (October, 1989)
  • Lecturer on Photography and Natural Sciences, Bucknell Alumni Fellows Program, Bucknell University, Lewisbury, PA (April, 1983)
  • Co-instructor, Photographic Workshop, Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, AZ (June, 1977)