Photographer behind "Midwest Modern" account to share UP stories
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The Marquette ore dock in the Upper Peninsula. Photo: Courtesy of Josh Lipnik
The photographer and writer behind a viral social media account cataloguing intriguing architecture around Michigan and the Midwest is giving local talks this fall about his experience.
Why it matters: Metro Detroit native Josh Lipnik, who operates the Midwest Modern account, chronicles architecture, design and adaptive reuse across the region.
- His work often shows how sites change over time, like a former theater in Livonia that's been remade into a Ford collision center.
The intrigue: Lipnik's knowledge and eye for detail have contributed to his popularity on X, where he has over 121,000 followers.
- He has a knack for finding unique and sometimes out-of-the-way buildings, artistic elements and signs.
Between the lines: Lipnik's talks will give a visual tour of the Upper Peninsula's architecture by exploring its landmarks, lesser-known spots and history. The prevalent mining industry factors heavily, Lipnik tells Axios.
- He'll also discuss how immigrants to the UP, like Italian, Finnish and French Canadian groups, influenced the architecture there — as well as the materials used, like sandstone and log construction.
Upcoming speaking engagements are:
- Tuesday, 7pm, Royal Oak Public Library
- Sept. 29, 7pm, Birmingham Baldwin Public Library
- Oct. 8, 6pm, East Lansing Public Library
- Oct. 28, 7pm, Livonia Public Library
- Nov. 6, 6:30pm, Hamburg Township Public Library
What they're saying: "I sort of started out really interested in Detroit and Cleveland and Toledo, and the big industrial Rust Belt cities, and the Upper Peninsula was sort of the fuel for that whole industrial explosion in the Rust Belt, with the iron and the copper coming from there," Lipnik says.
- "So to me, it's almost like going to the source of where all this wealth that was built up in Detroit and similar cities was coming from."