Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography

Spanning 180 years of photography, the exhibition examines how artists have made visible the mining, drilling, transportation, and processing of natural resources across the United States. Historical documentation and contemporary artworks reveal transformed landscapes, affected communities, workers, and the systems behind modern technologies. The exhibition also considers photography’s dependence on extracted materials and its power to shape public understanding of the environmental, social, and human consequences of extractive industries

Richard Avedon, Tom Stroud, oil field worker, Velma, Oklahoma, 6/12/80- Courtesy of the artist and Milwaukee Art Museum