The Friends of the Lehigh University Libraries invite you to join us on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in STEPS 101 for MADE IN AMERICA: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne.
The free public talk, which is supported by the Friends of the Lehigh University Libraries, coincides with a solo exhibition of Payne’s photography in the Fairchild-Martindale Library (6th fl. south). The MADE IN AMERICA exhibit runs through January 2025.
The talk will be followed by a Q&A session led by Boaz Nadav-Manes, Lehigh’s University Librarian and joined by Florencia San Martín, Assistant Professor of Art History, and Kevin Lahoda, Assistant Professor of Design and member of the Friends of Lehigh Libraries Programming Committee. Light refreshments will be served. Register now, seating is limited.
In his talk, Payne will discuss the making of MADE IN AMERICA, a photographic celebration of American manufacturing, craftsmanship, and ingenuity. He will share the challenges he has faced over the past ten years, trying to gain access to places that rarely allow photography, and what it was like to work in harsh, industrial environments. He will also discuss his photographic process, the transition from film to digital, and the latest technological innovations he’s seen that have altered the industrial landscape.
The Lehigh University Bookstore will have copies of MADE IN AMERICA available for purchase prior to the public talk (cash or credit card accepted). The 240-page hardcover book is an oversize format, including color photographs. More information about the book can be found here. Bookstore staff will be located in the lobby outside of STEPS 101.
Workshop
Join Payne for an interactive workshop exploring the photographic exhibit up close on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in E.W. Fairchild-Martindale Library 625. Limited seating, pre-registration required.
About the artist
Christopher Payne specializes in architectural and industrial photography. Trained as an architect, he is fascinated by design, assembly, and the built form. He is the author of New York’s Forgotten Substations: The Power Behind the Subway; Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals; North Brother Island: The Last Unknown Place in New York City; and Making Steinway: An American Workplace. His work has been featured in publications around the world, with frequent special presentations by the New York Times Magazine.
About the exhibit
MADE IN AMERICA, installed on the 6th floor of the Fairchild-Martindale Library, is a photographic celebration of how things are made, honoring the workers who bring craft, passion, and technological savvy to American manufacturing.
For the past ten years, photographer Christopher Payne has embarked on a photographic journey to learn more about American manufacturing and the industries that built this country. He has gained access to a world that continues to thrive but is often hidden from view.
In MADE IN AMERICA, Payne shows us an astonishing range of how things are made, from yarn in a traditional New England textile mill to a rocket made with a giant 3-D printer—and every sort of manufacturing in between. From the tip of a pencil to the sleek lines of a wind turbine, diverse forms of manufacturing—some very small and others incredibly large—are revealed as examples of human ingenuity and often, unexpectedly, as instances of great beauty.
MADE IN AMERICA celebrates the factory not only as a site of innovation, but as a place where, in an increasingly divided society, a diverse group of people—young and old, skilled and unskilled, recent immigrants and veteran employees—still come together to work toward a common goal. These photographs honor the workers who bring craft, passion, and technological savvy to American manufacturing.
All events are open to the public. RSVP by October 21, 2024.
Directions and parking
Directions to E.W. Fairchild-Martindale Library
Visitors may park at nearby metered spots or pay-by-plate zones. Additional parking information can be found on the Parking Services website.
Sponsored by The Friends of the Lehigh University Libraries