An Ohio artist is set to open a photo exhibition at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus that documents the final days at Lordstown Assembly before General Motors shut the facility down.
The exhibition, called ‘The Last Cruze’, was put together by visual artist LaToya Ruby Frazier. According to The Columbus Dispatch, Frazier spent nine months documenting workers at Lordstown Assembly, photographing them both before and after the last Chevrolet Cruze rolled off the assembly line at the facility. The result of her work is a 60-photo exhibition that provides a “stark” look at the situation many Lordstown workers faced after learning the plant had been unallocated, The Dispatch says.
A photo of The Last Cruze installment, via The Wexner Center for the Arts
The exhibition first debuted last September at the University of Chicago. In addition to Frazier’s photography, the installment also features wooden framework and overhead conveyors intended to evoke the feeling of the inside of a factory. The walls of the gallery space are also painted blue as a nod to the GM logo.
Fraser feels for the blue-collar workers that lost their jobs in Lordstown, Ohio and wanted to do something after learning of GM’s plans to shutter the large assembly plant.
“I was deeply concerned for the community, those workers, their families,” Frazier told The Dispatch. “There is no way I’m going to idly sit back.”
Another attraction included in the display is the final Chevrolet Cruze itself, which will be shown alongside Fraser’s photos in the gallery. Fraser managed to track down the vehicle’s owner for the display, who gave her permission to borrow it.
The final Chevrolet Cruze as it was being built at Lordstown
As we reported last year, the last Chevrolet Cruze, a white LS model, was purchased by John Kufleitner, the owner of a Fiat Chrysler dealership Columbiana, Ohio. It’s no surprise Kufleitner was okay with lending Frazier the car, as he felt similar to her when he learned of the plant’s fate.
“I’ve had a lot of family members and friends and neighbors that worked at the Lordstown plant,” he was quoted as saying last year. “So let’s be honest, that plant’s a part of all of us.”
Lordstown Assembly exterior in 2012
LaToya Ruby Frazier: The Last Cruze will open at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Saturday, February 1st.
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Source/photos: The Columbus Dispatch/Wexner Center for the Arts
Comments
I believe it’s much bigger than Lordstown plant closing, GM (and others) is preparing for a major economic shutdown. FCA just pink-sliped the fwd Cherokee plant with Nissan and PSA with major layoffs in Europe and Asia.
I mean I’ve priced a CT5″V” for a Stinger GT prices, sudden expensive items now in “mainstream” prices, there’s something the banksters, government and cooperations know that we don’t or specifically know.
Correct.
Diflationary forces due to over landing and historic debt levels globally.
You can observe that the CT5 IS cheaper than the CTS and the CT4 is cheaper than the ATS.
GM knows what is going on- their customers have no cash, no ability to borrow more and no pay raises.
We are in a diflationary stagnation which will shortly become a depression.
This is what your owners know……very well.
The best Compact car America ever made. Sad to see it die.
I agree. After 16 years with a 2003 Dodge Neon SXT I bought new, I upgraded to a 2019 Cruze LS in November 2018. So far it’s been a great car.
Totally agree with your comment.
I feel sorry for Lordstown and its people.
GM does not make the necessary effort when it reaches the top three in its vehicles to become number one.
They settle for being third parties behind other brands
It would have been neat to have the Trax type AWD system under an upgraded Cruze Hatchback before they threw in the towel and put their eggs all in .trail blazer ,tracker ,and affordable EV’s down the road that can operate in harsh winter condition of the US northern states and Canada !
Many young North American Millennial’s want to drive compact vehicles to reduce pollution, enhance mileage and cut CO2 emissions and can’t afford electric Bolts or want older gas guzzlers .GM just cancelled the production of two the best selling in Canada / U.S. and real Kia fighters, they were the Cruze Sedan and Hatchback..Now Kia, Hyundai ,Honda ,Nissan, and Toyota ate eating our lunch again leaving us only the Trax to fight back .Recently shutdown Oshawa Assembly could have taken over the build for Cruze or Sonic to meet this low cost market as Lordstown transitions to battery production. Once again GM management shot themselves in the foot and enraged the Chev. Dealer organizations with nothing viable to sell till the have EV ‘s that will a,ways be too expensive to meet this on- going segment ever ?
See the entire picture, soon the average buyers outside of major economic hubs won’t able to afford a new car and younger people in large cities rideshare. Those leftover that can afford a vehicle here it’s go big (CUV/truck/ sport car) or go home, besides the profit margins on the mentioned competition is probably slim. I’d love to see a CT4/CT5 based Chevy compact/midsize but as said it’s not going to look good financially soon.
Correct.
Dead on dude!
The Cruz didn’t start out too good but after many improvements it wound up being a nice car & GM should have kept it! Are you still going to make an SUV out of it like I read a few months back or not?
Hey guys,I see and appreciate the entire picture as you outline it, and certainly it doesn’t bode well for GM as now exists ,and the automobile transportation industry as a whole and is just as depressing as the national debt levels of many nation states,it appears the parties over and the bills have come home to roost for our economies and businesses ?
Thanks for deleting my early comment on this story. Just pointing out observations and facts about LaToya Ruby Frazier rubbed admin the wrong way? Wow.