Michael Pointer is a fourth-generation artist whose creative journey began early. He received his first camera at the age of nine and studied formally at the Wichita Art Association and the Wichita Art Museum. By twelve, he was working in the darkroom under the guidance of his father, Ed Pointer, a painter with a passion for photography. Growing up immersed in art, he quickly developed my own voice, and in 1969 his photography was selected for the National Scholastic Art Awards exhibit in Wichita, Kansas.
After serving ten years on active duty in the United States Air Force, where he earned multiple command awards for both photography and charcoal drawing, he returned to pursue his artistic practice more fully. A solo exhibition in Wichita in 2000 led to an invitation to join the faculty at Wichita State University’s School of Art and Design, where he taught photography for three years.
In 2009, Pointer moved to Kabul, Afghanistan with the Afghanistan Dental Relief Project. There, he established a dental laboratory to support a free clinic, taught dental technology to young Afghan women and men, and helped bring dental care to imprisoned women and their children. During this time, he also connected with the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA), where he lectured on photography and later served on the advisory board. CCAA was a vital space for teaching contemporary art forms to Afghan women. His life and work continue to weave together art, teaching, and service, shaped by a belief in the power of creativity to transform both individuals and communities. He is represented by Reuben Saunders Gallery here in Wichita.