MADE IN AMERICA: THE INDUSTRIAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF CHRISTOPHER PAYNE

Christopher Payne's large-format photographs document American factories and the skilled workers transforming raw materials into everything from pianos to semiconductors.

Why go

Over a decade of factory photography spanning traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology—pianos, quantum computers, aircraft fuselages, wind turbines—revealing manufacturing as fundamental to design. The exhibition's 70+ images celebrate both human skill and mechanical precision, echoing predecessors like Lewis Hine and Gordon Parks.

What to expect

More than 70 large-format color photographs displayed across the galleries, showcasing diverse manufacturing processes from Steinway pianos to Boeing aircraft components, with audio commentary by the artist available via the Bloomberg Connects app.

Things to know

• First large-scale photography exhibition at Cooper Hewitt.
• Payne has photographed factories across the U.S. for more than a decade, documenting rapid technological change.
• Exhibition features products ranging from musical instruments and flags to microchips and the Giant Magellan Telescope.
• Organized by Susan Brown, Associate Curator and Acting Head of Textiles.
• Accompanying publication by Abrams (2023) features foreword by Kathy Ryan and introduction by Simon Winchester.
• Exhibition supported by Smithsonian's Our Shared Future: 250 initiative marking the nation's 250th anniversary.

Plan your visit

Audio commentary by Christopher Payne is available at 29 stops via the free Bloomberg Connects app. In-gallery accessibility resources including object descriptions, large print labels, and a sensory map are available on the museum's website.

From the venue

Made in America brings together more than 70 large-format photographs captured by Christopher Payne over a decade-long photographic journey to learn more about the craft of both industrial and artisanal making in the United States. His images celebrate the combination of human skill and mechanical precision that transform raw materials into objects as diverse as pencils, semiconductors, pianos, and rockets.