The Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography are coming together through a $1 million endowment to display UA photography at an exhibit in the Phoenix Art Museum.

The endowment, provided by UA alumnus John Norton, will allow the Phoenix Art Museum to fund a curatorial position at the CCP in Tucson and will also develop the 2,500-square-foot Norton Gallery built specifically to house photographs within the museum, according to a press release.

“”The nice thing about endowments is that they are permanent,”” said Douglas Nickel, director of the CCP. “”The interest from the endowment will ensure that the curator position will always be here.””

The collaboration is a win-win situation, said Cathy Arnold, public information officer for the Phoenix Art Museum.

“”The center wins by not only getting a curator at the center, but by having a widely viewed gallery here in Phoenix,”” Arnold said. “”The museum will now have a strong photography program.””

The photography exhibit in Phoenix may also be used for teaching and providing additional learning opportunities, Arnold said.

The exhibit and curatorial position will be the final additions to a plan that took three years in the making, Nickel said.

“”The center has wonderful collections of about 80,000 works, but because our gallery is so small, we can only show a small percentage of them at any time,”” Nickel said.

Phoenix, because it has a much larger population than Tucson, will provide a forum to better showcase the photographs, Nickel added.

The exhibit will be changed every two months to preserve the delicate photographs and may also feature works by UA faculty that the CCP currently houses, Nickel said.

A collection of photos taken by Ansel Adams in the 1930s will be on display as the grand opening exhibit, slated to begin Nov. 11 and 12, according to a press release.

Adams has particular significance at the UA – in 1975, he helped co-found the CCP.

Nickel said the CCP is accepting applications for the curatorial position and hopes to have the position filled by January.

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply through the UA’s Web site, which has links to available jobs. The ideal curator will have graduate-level work experience and will have joint responsibilities to both institutions, Nickel said.

The CCP has not yet heard of reactions to the announcement, but staff believe the exhibit will be well-received, said Robin Southern, information specialist for CCP.

The CCP is among the most highly respected photographic collections and programs in the country, said Jim Ballinger, director of the Phoenix Art Museum, in a press release.

Photos from the CCP will be displayed on the second level of a newly constructed gallery wing.

Admission to the Phoenix Art Museum is $4 for full-time students with valid identification and is free to all on Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.