Don Werthmann is a Professional Photography Faculty member in the Digital Media Arts Department at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, and over the past twenty-five years, he has taught a wide range of courses. Among his favorites are the project and portfolio development experiences for students to organize their collections of work for the first time and realize that their images are not just objects; they are ideas.

In 2024, Don was the recipient of a statewide Outstanding Faculty Award by the Michigan Occupational Dean’s Advisory Council, which recognizes exceptional teaching practices, professional achievements, and service to his college. A passion and appreciation for various forms of visual art and art history emerged when he was a teenager, which eventually led him to earn BFA and MA degrees in Photography from Wayne State University in Detroit. His career spans over forty years across commercial, editorial, photo education, film, and digital eras, web design, studio and location lighting, and most recently, handbound bookmaking.

Before launching a college teaching career, Don arrived at Santa Fe Workshops as a participant in 1991. He returned in 1994 as their Operations Manager and a workshop instructor until the close of the decade. 2026 is Don’s seventh year of teaching at SFW, and he is thrilled to offer this online experience.

Don’s images are infused with curiosity, the lyricism of everyday life, and a naturally unfolding tapestry of events presented to the camera—a genre known as lyric documentary. He self-published a handbound book of original photography entitled, To Think Outloud: The Collection of Visual Poems for Visual Literacy. One iteration or another of the Quatrain Project is visible by following a link noted below.