Requiem for Steam opens Sept. 23 at the Grohmann Museum
| Published: 08/09/2011 |
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As a child, David Plowden was given an inexpensive box camera and it wasn’t long before he began to photograph railroad trains. As he matured and started on what would become a lifetime in photography, trains - specifically steam locomotives - continued to be one of his passions. But by the beginning of the 1960s they were eclipsed by diesel engines, and the steam era had come to a close.
Museum visitors are invited to view Requiem for Steam, a collection of Plowden’s railroad photographs which capture a vital and often-forgotten era in this country’s history, at the Grohmann Museum from Sept. 23 through Dec. 11. A special Gallery Night event with Plowden will be held on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.
The Center for Railroad Photography and Art; David Plowden, author of Requiem for Steam: The Railroad Photographs of David Plowden (W.W. Norton and Company); and the Valley Railroad Company have collaborated to present this exhibition.
The Grohmann Museum is home to the Man at Work collection, which comprises more than 800 paintings and sculptures dating from 1580 to the present. They reflect a variety of artistic styles and subjects that document the evolution of organized work: from farming and mining to trades such as glassblowing and seaweed gathering. The Grohmann Museum welcomes visitors to three floors of galleries where a core collection is displayed as well as themed exhibitions. The museum is owned by MSOE, an independent university with about 2,600 students. MSOE offers 18 bachelor’s degrees and 10 master’s degrees in the engineering, engineering technology, building and infrastructure engineering, health-related engineering, computer, business and nursing fields.