ON VIEW AT THE COOPER HEWITT: CHRISTOPHER PAYNE - MADE IN AMERICA
Made in America is now on view through September 27, 2026 at The Cooper Hewitt. Christopher Payne’s photographs take you inside American factories, showcasing the traditional craftsmanship behind the creation of musical instruments, flags, footballs, and pinball machines, as well as the intricate hand processes still critical to creating the most advanced products, ranging from microchips to the Giant Magellan Telescope.
The first large-scale photography exhibition at Cooper Hewitt, Made in America showcases the design process through photography bringing the object, the machine, and the hand together. Payne’s photographs highlight manufacturing as a fundamental part of the design process.
In celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, this exhibition brings together more than 70 of Payne’s large-format photographs to consider the American factory as a key site of design ingenuity and innovation.