After 20 years as executive director of SF Camerawork, Marnie Gillett died Dec. 3, 2004, following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. During her tenure, Gillett established Camerawork as a launching pad for emerging artists. She also was pivotal in helping raise San Francisco’s profile as an art community leading the exploration of the photographic medium.

Before assuming the leadership of Camerawork, Gillett was curator of exhibitions at the University of Arizona’s...