Join us for a panel discussion exploring the Salt Shed’s redevelopment, history and working-class roots, with photographer Sandra Steinbrecher and project experts.
Photographing the Salt Shed: The Intersection of Art and Labor
The Salt Shed. Photo by Sandra Steinbrecher
Originally constructed in 1929, the Morton Salt Company Warehouse Complex is a familiar and beloved Chicago Landmark along Elston Avenue near Goose Island. For decades, its enormous hand-painted sign has captivated people traveling along Interstate I-90. As times changed, the property was no longer used for salt storage and processing. Sandra Steinbrecher’s new photography book, The Salt Shed, chronicles the building's remarkable transformation into a stunning music venue.
Join the CAC for an enlightening panel discussion on the Salt Shed’s redevelopment, history and working-class roots. Joining Sandra are Daniel John Majerowicz, the plumbing foreman for the project, and Paul Durica, Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum and author of the book’s history essay. The conversation is moderated by Heidi Stevens, a Chicago writer, speaker and nationally syndicated columnist, who wrote the book’s foreword.
Copies of The Salt Shed will be on sale at the CAC Design Store before and after the program and there will be a short book signing following the panel discussion.
Keynote speaker
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Speakers:
Sandra Steinbrecher is a Chicago documentary photographer working on assignments about education, the arts and community development. For two years, she photographed the transformation of the former Morton Salt complex along the Chicago River, chronicled in her recently published book, The Salt Shed.
Sandra is a silver gelatin master printer and along with colleague Ron Gordon, made the exhibition prints from a collection of Vivian Maier’s acclaimed, historic images, seen around the world.
Her work has been featured in several publications and galleries including The Outwin, American Portraiture Today, a highly competitive group exhibition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
IG @sandysteinbrecherphotography
Paul Durica is the Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum and previously at the Newberry Library. He leads a series of Chicago history walks, talks, and reenactments that have been featured in local and national media collectively called Pocket Guide to Hell. His writing on Chicago has appeared in Poetry and the Journal of American Studies, among other places, and, with Bill Savage, he is the editor of Chicago by Day and Night: The Pleasure Seeker's Guide to the Paris of America (Northwestern UP, 2013), a guide to the city from 1893. He has a PhD in English from the University of Chicago.
Heidi Stevens is the Director of External Affairs at the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health, a research institute that works to optimize brain development for all children. Prior to joining University of Chicago, Heidi worked at the Chicago Tribune for 23 years as a writer and editor. For the past decade she wrote a daily column called Balancing Act. She maintains a nationally syndicated column once a week and serves on the Board of Directors for FAN, a North Shore speaker series, and the Ross K. MacNeill Foundation, which works to raise money and awareness for pediatric brain cancer research.
Daniel John Majerowicz is a third-generation plumbing foreman in the heart of Chicago. With a deep-rooted passion for his trade, he has played a pivotal role in several notable projects, including the iconic Ebony Jet building, the NLU culinary school, the Fairmont Hotel, and the Salt Shed. Among his many accomplishments, one of his most memorable experiences was traveling to Austin, TX, in 2021 to repair frozen pipes following a historic freeze. Outside of work, he enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Whitney, their baby boy, Victor, and their two beloved dogs, Bobbi and Clyde. He is an avid golfer and loves to explore the vibrant Chicago food scene, savoring the city's diverse culinary offerings.
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