Guest Gallery Talk: “Beneath the Surface”

Guest gallery talks invite fresh perspectives into the Museum’s exhibitions. Each talk brings a guest whose work and expertise connect with the exhibition in meaningful ways, creating new opportunities to explore the ideas behind the artworks and their relevance today. For this talk, join James Kieselburg, director of the Grohmann Museum at MSOE, for a one-hour exploration of Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography. Drawing on his experience curating exhibitions and examining representations of labor and industry in art, Kieselburg will offer an intriguing perspective on the relationship between photography and labor, tackling themes explored throughout the exhibition.

About the Speaker James Kieselburg: James is the Director at the Grohmann Museum at Milwaukee School of Engineering. He has spent the past 30+ years at the Museums of Beloit College, UW-Milwaukee, Marquette University, and MSOE. With over 150 exhibitions on the resume, Kieselburg is the curator of several recent shows including A Time of Toil and Triumph, Patterns of Meaning, and The Legend Lives On. He has also published numerous books, essays and articles for the Grohmann Museum, the Society for Industrial Archeology, the Center for Railroad Photography and Art, and the American Society of Engineering Education. His scholarly pursuits focus on photography, the art of industry, WPA-era American art, and the sociology of work.

Image: Stephen Shore (American, b. 1947), Beverly Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, California, June 21, 1975 (detail), 1975. Chromogenic print. Purchase, Herzfeld Foundation Acquisition Fund, M2011.36. © 1975 Stephen Shore, courtesy of 303 Gallery, New York.