Newsletter: Spring /Summer 1997

Often taken at dawn or in the dark hours of the night, Kenna's photographs concentrate primarily on the interaction between the natural landscape and human-made structures. The Rouge plant, once considered a symbol of American industrial might, is located in Dearborn, on the banks of the Rouge River, ten miles from downtown Detroit. At the peak of its productivity the complex covered over two square miles, and encompassed all the basic steps in automobile manufacturing, from raw materials to finished product. Kenna's photographs show all the essential elements of the complex as it is today, includ ng breathtaking panoramic views and small details of machine parts. Perhaps the most widely known comparative images of this site are those photographed and painted by Charles Sheeler in 1927, at the conclusion of the first major phase of the plant's construction.