A new photography exhibition showcases the haunting beauty of America's Midwest through the lens of three Illinois photographers who have dedicated their work to capturing the after-dark life of heartland cities and towns. The exhibition, titled "Midwestern Nights," features the compelling work of Robin Bailey, Jim Hill, and Dave Jordano, displaying their black-and-white photographs at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, through September 8.
The photographers have spent years documenting the contrast between survival and decline across the Midwest, from Michigan to Ohio. Their work captures independent businesses that have weathered decades of economic change, illuminated against the darkness of rural midwestern skies. These establishments serve as visual monuments to a disappearing past while preserving the narrative of places and times that are rapidly fading from American life.
Jim Hill's "Small Places" series reflects his personal connection to these communities. "Since I was not born in the area, I was always an outsider, yet in a way still a part of the community," Hill explains. "My series Small Places is a way for me to better understand and honor a part of my life that passed when I moved back to the city." His photographs include intimate portraits of establishments like Jodi's Barbershop & Hairstyling in Thomasboro, Illinois (population 1,034), and scenes from Brooklyn, Iowa (population 1,502), capturing the essence of small-town America.
Robin Bailey focuses on what she calls "survivors" – buildings and neighborhoods that have persisted despite constant economic pressure. "This work is about survivors – those buildings and neighborhoods that have somehow persisted amidst the constant pressure of economic decline, urban revitalization, demolition and the continuing loss of the midwest's unique identity," Bailey states. Her work includes photographs of the White Front Cafe in Toronto, Ohio, and the iconic Town-Topic Hamburgers in Kansas City, Missouri, each telling a story of resilience in the face of change.
The agricultural transformation of the Midwest forms a crucial backdrop to these photographers' work. Since 1982, the United States has lost approximately 80% of its dairy farms and 90% of its hog farms, accelerating a trend toward fewer but much larger agricultural operations. With farm production becoming increasingly consolidated and big-box retailers dominating county seats, local merchants are being driven out of business. Small towns across the region struggle to reinvent themselves despite being surrounded by agricultural abundance.
Dave Jordano's documentation of Detroit provides a powerful urban counterpoint to the rural imagery. His photographs of establishments like Joey's Meatcutter's Inn on Detroit's Eastside, Mike's House, and Brent's Place on Michigan Avenue capture the determination of residents in a post-industrial city. "These photographs represent a visual document that speaks to the quiet determination of its residents, both as independent shop operators and as homeowners who have survived the long and difficult path of living in a post-industrial city stripped of economic prosperity and opportunity," Jordano explains.
The photographers deliberately chose to work at night, creating images that transform the mundane into the beautiful. "At night, the lit up grain elevators tower over the surrounding towns, providing a visual metaphor for the abundance of the region," Hill notes. "The darkness of the rural midwestern sky provides a backdrop which accentuates the isolation of the small towns and transforms the mundane into the beautiful." This nighttime approach introduces moments of quiet and calm reflection, allowing viewers to contemplate pieces of the past, present, and future.
The use of black-and-white photography serves a specific artistic purpose in this documentation. As the photographers explain, "Black and white also allows these images to achieve an iconic quality as monuments of a disappearing past while preserving a visual narrative of a place and time." This choice enhances the timeless quality of the images while emphasizing the contrast between light and shadow that defines these nocturnal scenes.
The exhibition captures the modest and subtle character that defines much of the Midwest. "Much like the midwest, these simple, quiet scenes evoke a sense of modesty and subtleness, allowing the viewer to appreciate the commonplace – sprinkled with glimpses of struggle, beauty, intrigue, humor and love," the photographers observe. Their work includes unexpected elements, such as Bailey's photograph titled "Notorious RBG" taken in Dubuque, Iowa, showing how contemporary culture intersects with traditional small-town life.
For Detroit specifically, Jordano sees these surviving businesses as markers of an ongoing story. "All of these establishments, whether large or small, are in many ways a marker of the ongoing story that is Detroit, a testament to the tenacity of the city's residents who are trying desperately to hold on to what is left of the social and economic fabric of the city." His work documents not just buildings and businesses, but the human spirit that refuses to surrender in the face of overwhelming challenges.
The "Midwestern Nights" exhibition offers viewers a chance to experience these compelling contrasts and witness the determination of communities across America's heartland. Through their patient documentation of after-dark scenes, Bailey, Hill, and Jordano have created a visual archive that honors both the beauty and the struggle of the contemporary Midwest, preserving these moments before they too become part of history.
