David Plowden states that “the architecture of steelmaking is like no other. Nowhere can you find this massiveness, drama, spectacle, and danger but in a steel mill.” Between 1962 and 1985, Plowden sought to capture the majesty of the steel industry while at the same time documenting the demise of the industry as we knew it.

This exhibition allows for a re-examination of Plowden’s steel portfolio, including many photos printed specifically for this purpose. Featuring more than 100 of his finest photographs, Steel places the viewer at the point where shovel meets dirt in the mining process and ends in the same soil surrounding these long-abandoned mills.