Image Making and Innovation at MillerKnoll

In conjunction with Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne, join Cooper Hewitt for an illustrated talk on the critical role photography has played at MillerKnoll across the histories of both Herman Miller and Knoll. Whether documenting manufacturing processes or creating images for advertising, photographs of MillerKnoll’s furniture and textiles have shaped our understanding of American design for over seven decades. Amy Auscherman, MillerKnoll’s Director of Archives and Brand Heritage, will share how the company continues to adapt to rapid changes in labor, materials, and technology, with an eye toward the future. Following the lecture, Auscherman will be joined by Christopher Payne for a conversation about Payne’s recent work photographing the manufacture of MillerKnoll’s iconic Eames Lounge Chair, and what documenting this company means to him within the larger context of his project to capture the history, present, and future of manufacturing in the United States. The conversation will be moderated by the curator of Made in America, Susan Brown.