Jay Wolke

Professor. Husband. Mentor. Artist. Brother. Friend.

Jay Wolke, 71, Professor Emeritus at Columbia College, died September 7, 2026.

Jay graduated with a BFA in Graphic Arts and Printmaking from Washington University in St. Louis and earned an MS in Photography from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute of Design. He touched thousands of lives over the course of his career as professor of photography and chairman of Art and Design at Columbia College in Chicago.

Over his decades-long career as an artist Jay's photographs captured moments of celebration and profound observation of the world. His publications include All Around the House: Photographs of American-Jewish Communal Life, 1998; Along the Divide: Photographs of the Dan Ryan Expressway, 2004; Architecture of Resignation: Photographs from the Mezzogiorno, 2011; and Same Dream Another Time, 2017.

Jay’s work has been exhibited around the world and is held in the permanent print collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others. His photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Guardian Magazine, Geo France, Exposure, Newsweek, Fortune, and the Village Voice. He immersed himself in the art and photo community of Chicago
and served on the board of Filter Photo and the Riverside Art Center for
many years.

Jay saw beauty and poetry in the intimate, in the often mundane moments of everyday life. His intellectual curiosity took him to many parts of the world, but first and foremost to Italy. His love of the country started in the 1990s when he became head of an art school in Florence. The complexity of the country’s landscape reflected his enduring belief in the bel paese—the beautiful country—and laid the foundation for his book
Architecture of Resignation. His many trips to Italy established and built friendships that have lasted a lifetime.

As a friend Jay was loyal and committed with all his heart, he took real sustenance out of being with people and gave back more. His honesty, openness and generosity of spirit are what made him the truest of friends to those who knew him and loved him. His intellectual curiosity was boundless, he never stopped reading and learning, listening, relishing discussion and debate with friends and colleagues, opening doors to new worlds, and he was also, without question, fun.

Jay showed bravery beyond description in the last years of his life. He continued to create masterful works of art despite the challenges he had with his health. He had shows in Italy, Chicago and Portland, Oregon. Jay’s willingness to take risks in his art shows up in the abstract scans he took from ancient tapestries, sidewalks and objects, bookshelves and books, he continued to push the boundaries of photography to new, intriguing and beautiful heights.

Jay was a loving husband, brother, uncle, mentor and friend. He left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all who entered his life. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Avril Greenberg; his brother, Joe (and Barbara) Wolke; his sister, Judy (and Menachem) Malkosh; and many nephews, nieces, grand-nephews, and grand-nieces in the United States and Israel.

There are any number of ways to describe Jay, a list without limits.

The celebration of Jay’s life has been postponed. Please check back to this website for further information.

Funeral services are being provided by Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-318-1305, or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.