Opening Reception: December 10, 2026, 6-9 PM
Through their respective documentary series, photographers Devin Fitchwell and Matthew Ludak have spent several years examining the socio-economic difficulties plaguing Western Pennsylvania as a result of capitalist exploitation and deindustrialization. Bound to the area by generational ties, both artists are intimately connected to these struggles. Their work depicts a region ensconced in amber, simultaneously reconciling its past as it confronts contemporary issues that dominate the discourse today.
In Broken Bridges, Devin Fitchwell chronicles the life of his uncle, Jimmy Fitchwell, who worked for Westinghouse’s nuclear energy division, headquartered in the Pittsburgh suburb of Cranberry Township. Jimmy Fitchwell contributed to the cleanup efforts at Three Mile Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, following the historic meltdown on March 28, 1979—the most severe commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history. When he died from cancer in 2017, he had been excluded from a class-action lawsuit against his former employer, despite having documentation linking his illness to radiation exposure. Stories like Fitchwell’s are often obscured from public view, increasingly muddled by corporate deception and legal maneuvers. By bridging environmental advocacy and labor rights, Broken Bridges honors the working-class lives compromised in service to capitalism. The project utilizes photography alongside other mediums to build a multi-layered visual archive about ordinary citizens trapped in the economic and political snares of those in power.
Nothing Gold Can Stay, a photographic series by Matthew Ludak, documents the profound impact of economic globalization on vulnerable towns and former industrial hubs across the United States, particularly Western Pennsylvania communities outside Pittsburgh like East Conemaugh, Braddock, Butler, and Shippingport. Drawing inspiration from his family’s roots in a small coal mining town within the region, Ludak’s images highlight the cycle of economic desperation, enduring resilience, haunting beauty, and poignant evolution that define these overlooked areas. Additionally, they expose the ecological scars left behind by the coal and steel sectors, charting their ongoing effects on the landscape and populations that once flourished alongside these manufacturing giants. The protagonists are the residents who once clung on the pulse of the mills, mines, and factories. Like the Robert Frost poem that bears the series’ name, their dalliance was fleeting. Impermanence resonates through each frame, honoring the quiet, still moments that define everyday life.
Devin Fitchwell is a photo-based artist and archivist from Maryland, currently living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His practice explores his desire to make sense of the world around him using narrative and the indeterminacy of the photographic image. He received his Associate Degree in Digital Arts from Harford Community College and his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the Tyler School of Art & Architecture at Temple University. Fitchwell has exhibited his artwork throughout the United States, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and abroad in Pingyao, China. His artwork can also be seen online via platforms such as Float Magazine, Pearl Press, Booooooom, LensScratch, and ColorTag Magazine.
Matthew Ludak is a documentary photographer whose work delves into contemporary social issues, including classism, de-industrialization, environmentalism, and economic stratification in the United States. With a BA from Drew University and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ludak melds his background in American history and English literature with a passionate commitment to socially engaged photography. His distinctive approach employs natural light and classical composition to highlight the dichotomy in how artists are able to depict difficult and troubling topics. Ludak’s work has been exhibited and published both domestically and internationally, showcasing his talent at venues such as The Elliot Gallery in Amsterdam, Prix Maison Blanche 2024, Photo Marseille, the Head On Photo Festival in Sydney, Australia, and the Photography and Visual Arts Festival in Braga, Portugal. His long-term project, Nothing Gold Can Stay, has garnered funding from the Puffin Foundation and was selected for the 2024 Critical Mass Top 50 by Photo Lucida. Ludak has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he continues to explore the intersections of art and social justice through his photography and non profit work.
