Dirk Fletcher

Porcelain Utopia: Mid-Century Lustron Homes in Illinois and Beyond

Guest Curator: Stephanie Graham

March 1 - March 29, 2025

Opening Reception

Saturday, March 1, 2025 6 pm - 9 pm

Dirk Fletcher is a photographer whose work focuses primarily on transportation and the built environment. He has several long-term projects underway including documentation of post-war era porcelain enamel Lustron homes, located across the US. He is also a field representative with Canon USA working with professional users of still and cinema products. Before joining Canon, he was the Department Chairman (and faculty) at Harrington College of Design in Chicago for twelve years. The program focused specifically on commercial aspects of photography. Before moving to Harrington, he was the staff photographer at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago for five years.
Fletcher holds an MFA in Independent Filmmaking from Governors State University and a BA from Brooks Institute of Photography.  His book, Digital Photography Lighting for Dummies, was published by Wiley Publishing in 2010 and is still widely available.
In addition to photography and filmmaking, he is an avid builder of large format and panoramic cameras and grills year-round. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two boys.

Guest curator Stephanie Graham (she/her), is a lens-based artist based in Chicago. Her work explores themes of social class, subcultures, race, and gender, often with a humorous undercurrent. She is fascinated by how we connect and how our universal and unique shared experiences shape who we are. Projects like "So This One Guy," where women share their dating stories, demonstrate Graham’s interest in exploring the human condition through diverse perspectives and shared experiences. Graham’s work has been exhibited nationally and is held in private and public collections, including the Chicago Historical Society. She is a filmmaker, having worked on productions such as Somebody Somewhere and Chicago PD.