Manufacturing is more than machines. It’s people. It’s skill. It’s creativity.

In recognition of Manufacturing Month, the Lee Dam Center for Fine Art presents The Art of Manufacturing. This exhibition pairs contemporary and historic photography to look at manufacturing in a different way—focusing not just on the finished product, but on the artistry within the work itself.

The show features photographs by Boston-based Brad Romano, whose clients include BMW, Amazon Kindle, Toyota, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and Tom Parker, a retired photographer and journalist from Blue Rapids. Both turned their cameras to Landoll Company in Marysville, capturing employees on the job—measuring, welding, shaping, and assembling. Their images reveal the artistry found in everyday manufacturing.

Selections from the Marshall County Historical Society round out the exhibition with a glimpse into the industries that once shaped life here: cigar makers at the Pusch Cigar Factory, an ice plant on Spring Street, a sawmill north of Marysville that produced whiskey barrel staves, and a Blue Rapids company that manufactured fiberglass components in the Union Pacific yards.

Special Events:
🎃 Halloween at the Gallery – Friday, October 31. Families are invited to stop in for Halloween treats while enjoying the exhibition.
🥞 Senior Saturday – November 1, 8–10 a.m. A complimentary breakfast featuring casseroles, biscuits and gravy, and breakfast sweets, followed by time to view the photographs.

Gallery Hours:
Sundays: 12–3 p.m.
Wednesdays: 4–6 p.m.
Fridays: 12–6 p.m.

This exhibition is sponsored by the Marshall County Arts Cooperative, Landoll Company, and the Marshall County Historical Society.