Webinars

Our monthly online webinars showcase a range of voices from across our community, featuring engaging presentations by artists, photographers, archivists, and historians. Each event offers a unique opportunity to explore creative practices, uncover historical insights, and gain new perspectives on railroad imagery and archival practice.

Zoom program: Traqueros in Chicago and the Midwest on July 14

Over a century has passed since the first wave of Mexican immigrants arrived in Chicago, many directly recruited by railroad companies. However, the history of Mexican and Mexican-American traqueros (railroad workers) in the Midwest remains overlooked. Through a community collection process and archival research, Ismael Cuevas will discuss the curatorial process of his inaugural exhibition,…
Zoom program: The Poetry of Railway Bridges

This program was recorded and will be posted soon on the Center’s YouTube page at @railphotoart. Lovers of bridges and great railroad photography will be thrilled with our June 30th Zoom program, featuring Todd Halamka, author and photographer of the Summer Railroad Heritage cover story, “The Poetry of Railway Bridges.” Join Todd as he expands…
Zoom program: Four decades of Northeast rail photography with Ken Karlewicz

Thanks to the nearly 150 who joined us Tuesday, May 12, for “Lure of the Rails,” an evening with Northeast photographer Ken Karlewicz. Ken developed an early appreciation for photography after receiving a Brownie Hawkeye camera from his father at age nine. His fascination with railroads began early as well, inspired by countless visits to…
PBS Wisconsin program: Railroads of Madison and South Central Wisconsin

On March 19, 2026, PBS Wisconsin aired the Center’s program “Railroads of Madison and South Central Wisconsin,” a presentation by Scott Lothes about the history and development of railroads in and around the Center’s home city. At their zenith, nine railroad lines radiated out of Madison, and the program traces their arrival, development, consolidation, and…
Zoom program: Charting the Wolverine with artist Elaine S. Wilson

In the Center’s March 2026 Zoom presentation, artist Elaine S. Wilson describes her ongoing project, Charting the Wolverine, a series of digital prints about the views from Amtrak’s Wolverine train from Michigan to Chicago. She examines the process from its inception in 2008 to its current state that features thirty-one “map-prints” and more than 200…
Zoom member-exclusive program: “Dining in Motion – Railroad Cuisine History”

The Center’s Zoom presentation “Dining in Motion” is a members-exclusive feast for the eyes! Staff members Adrienne Evans and Lisa Hardy, along with CRP&A board member Justin Franz, combine to celebrate the culinary side of American railroading, from luxury dining cars to the sometimes quick-and-dirty foodways of railroaders on the go. George M. Pullman built the first…
Zoom program: “Focus on Texas” spotlights Springer and Lamb railroad photography

This program is available at the Center’s YouTube page, below. See railroading in the Lone Star State through the eyes of J. Parker Lamb and Fred Springer, two photographers who spent much of their lives in Texas, and who both donated their work to the Center for Railroad Photography & Art. Executive Director Scott Lothes…
Zoom program: “Railroad Photography – The Old Way” with Jim Ehernberger

The Center’s December Zoom program is an evening with the legendary James Ehernberger. During the past 65 years, Jim has authored (or co-authored) about 50 books and numerous magazine articles, especially for the Union Pacific Historical Society. Jim began working for Union Pacific Railroad in Cheyenne, Wyoming, shortly after his sixteenth birthday. The following 35…
Zoom program: Curating All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art

Julie Novarese Pierotti will share her insights as curator of the exhibition All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840-1955, which explores the depictions of trains and train infrastructure in American painting during the 19th and 20th centuries. Join us for her Zoom presentation on Tuesday, November 18, at 7:00 pm Central Time. From its…
Zoom program: Northern Light—Creating a Portrait of BC Rail

Attendees of CRP&A’s annual conference, Conversations 2025, selected their favorite presentation from a stellar lineup of presenters—a very difficult choice for everyone. In a very close decision, Dale Sanders’ presentation, “Northern Light—Creating a Portrait of BC Rail,” claimed the top spot. Dale has graciously agreed to reprise this presentation for our online program in October…