Introducing the Midwest Flat File

Shining a light on photographers in my part of the world

Sep 26, 2024

I grew up in rural Wisconsin. As a kid, I dreamed about moving to New York or some other glamorous urban place where cultural things happened. I came to Madison — the big city for me in those days — for college in 1996. I left for a while, and I came back. And for various reasons, I stayed put.

I used to struggle with the fact that I didn’t move away from my homeplace. For some reason, I thought I had to leave in order to make it. But the internet changed the world and made it easy to be creative online. I grew up, my priorities changed, and my relationship to Wisconsin did, too. Over time, I realized Madison is the perfect place to make an artistic life. I’m biased, but I think it’s one of the Great American Cities. We love it here. Madison is a special place.

In 2014, I turned my attention toward promoting Midwest photography and started organizing programs here in town. If you’re into pictures, it’s easy to fixate on the buzz of New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and London. These are fantastic cities with incredible photography scenes. But something special is happening in the American Midwest that’s easy to lose sight of. It's called flyover country for a reason.

Today, I’m excited to announce a new project: I’m refocusing my efforts on promoting Midwest photography and partnering with the Arts + Literature Laboratory to launch the FlakPhoto Midwest Flat File during the PhotoMidwest Biennial Festival in Madison this weekend. This is the third Midwest photography exhibition I’ve organized in Wisconsin, and it expands on my previous shows with a component for collectors.

How it works

The Midwest Flat File Project is a rotating collection of 2-D works by Midwest artists. Ten artists will be invited annually to add three to five works to a flat file drawer for two years. The public can view these prints with staff assistance during ALL’s gallery hours, by appointment, or via an online gallery. All prints are for sale.

I’m honored to have curated the first Flat File cohort of ten Midwest photographers. From September 27 through November 9, one work from each artist will be exhibited in ArtLitLab’s Project Space as part of our 2024 PhotoMidwest Festival program.

I’m excited to introduce our inaugural group and hope you’ll come to Madison to see their prints in person. These are some of my favorite imagemakers in the region, and working with them has been a genuine thrill. I’ll drop some links to their websites below so you can learn more about them and their photography.

You can read about these artists on the ArtLitLab website. I hope you’ll discover something new, and like what you see. Let me know what you think.