Born and raised in Germany, Ingeborg Gerdes immigrated to the United States in 1965, first to Philadelphia, then to San Francisco, where she received her Master of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1970. Her photographs are in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Norton Simon Museum, the Portland Art Museum, and the Berkeley Art Museum, among others. She taught photography for over two decades at the University of California, Santa Cruz, influencing a new generation of artists. Ingeborg was an avid photobook collector and upon her passing, donated 550 photobooks to the East Bay Photo Collective.

Ingeborg Gerdes passed away peacefully at her home in Emeryville, CA on June 20th, 2020. She will be remembered as a remarkably talented photographer, influential educator, and as a dear sister, aunt, colleague, and friend. Ingeborg was an avid photobook collector and upon her passing, donated 550 photobooks to the East Bay Photo Collective. Currently on display at their gallery space, Oakland Photo Workshop, gallery visitors can peruse her collection at their leisure.