Come hear how photography shapes our understanding of architecture and design

In conjunction with the current exhibition Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne, please join Christopher Payne and Pulitzer Prize-winning design critic and author Alexandra Lange for a discussion on Payne’s intricately detailed photography of America’s factories. The program will consider Payne’s photographs of industrial manufacturing as part of a long history of image-making of American architecture and design, highlighting spaces of production, the skilled workers who make things, and the products themselves. They will also discuss the significance of Payne’s work now, in this period of rapid industrial transformation.   

Speakers 

Alexandra Lange is a journalist, design critic, and author. Her essays, reviews and profiles have appeared in numerous design publications as well as in The Atlantic, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. She is a contributing writer for Bloomberg CityLab. In 2025 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism for a series there on how urban design and architecture affect children and families. Her latest book, Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall, was published by Bloomsbury USA in 2022. She is currently at work on a book about the 1970s and DIY culture. 

Christopher Payne studied architecture at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an architect for twelve years before committing full-time to photography. He is fascinated by design, assembly, and the built form. Over the past decade, through personal projects and editorial commissions, he has been on a photographic journey to learn more about what’s made here: the traditional industries that “built this country” as well as the newest and most technologically advanced processes. These images can be found in his latest book, Made In America. Payne’s work frequently appears in The New York Times Magazine and Popular Science, and in other major publications including Interview, National Geographic, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Time, and Wired, among many others.  

AccessibiliTy & What to Expect 

  • Format: The program will begin with a brief welcome, then the speakers will engage in a moderated conversation. It will end with an optional Q&A with the audience. The audience will remain seated for the program. 
  • About the space: This program will take place in Cooper Hewitt’s Lecture Room on the ground floor of the museum. The audience seating area has seats with backs. It is fully wheelchair accessible. There is an accessible restroom on the ground floor. Read more about accessibility at Cooper Hewitt. 
  • Accommodations: The program will have live CART captioning and ASL Interpretation. We welcome questions and accommodation requests that support your participation. Email us at CHEducation@si.edu or let us know when you register. Please make your request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least ten days before the program date. 

SUPPORT  

Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne received support from Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250, a Smithsonian-wide initiative commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. Signature support for Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250 has been provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. Additional generous contributions have been made by Target and New Balance.