Bob Mader's talents as a photographer, teacher and lecturer have brought him international acclaim. A native of Chicago, Mader studied film with Ken Josephson at the Art Institute of Chicago and did his master's degree work under Arthur Siegel and Aaron Siskind at the Illinois Institute of Technology/Institute of Design. He served as a curator of Hull House Gallery and taught at a number of undergraduate institutions prior to accepting a position with the University of Texas at Dallas in 1978. In the fall of that year, Mader also launched his own studio in Dallas.

An innovator in style and technique, Mader was featured on a segment of the nationally televised "Donahue" show. In 1989 he was honored by Professional Photographers of America to be the guest lecturer at a prestigious symposium for the nation's outstanding leaders in the field of photography. In April of 1990, , Frederick Quellmalz, President of the Photographic Art and Science Foundation, called Mader "the greatest family photographer of this century."

It was not until after his passing that the artist's family discovered a vast archive of stunning early work: an intriguing–sometimes shocking–documentary of the Sixties and Seventies. An astoundingly prolific artist, Mader was so consumed with the present perfect that past work was left in his wake as he forged through life. Since 2005, this incredible body of work has been collated by art professors and artists, culminating in the production of a limited edition monograph. It will be released to the public in November 2010.