Act One: A Century in the Making / Picto Gallery Book Signing & Panel

Act One: A Century in the Making

A book. An exhibition. A public conversation.

Book Signing & Panel Discussion

Join us for a book signing and panel discussion with several contributing photographers to Act One: A Century in the Making—an evening of photography and conversation with contributing photographers Andrew Boroweic, Greg Miller, Natalie Keyssar, Q Sakamaki, and Eric Pickersgill.

Bringing together the work of more than 100 internationally recognized photographers alongside original essays by leading scholars, writers, and journalists, Act One is an ambitious 704-page publication creating a collective portrait of the first quarter of the 21st century.

Across nine thematic chapters, the book examines many of the forces that have defined these first twenty-five years—from climate change, public health, and human rights to democracy, race, war, technology, and globalization—through an extraordinary range of photographic perspectives.

Hosted at Picto Gallery New York, the evening will feature a panel discussion exploring photography's role in documenting, interpreting, and shaping our understanding of a rapidly changing world. The participating photographers will discuss their work featured in Act One, the events and communities they have photographed, and the questions that arise when more than 100 individual perspectives are brought together to create a portrait of our shared time.

Participating Photographers

Andrew Borowiec — Acclaimed documentary and fine-art photographer Andrew Borowiec has spent nearly four decades documenting the changing industrial and post-industrial landscape of the United States, with particular attention to the Ohio River Valley, the Midwest, and the Gulf Coast. He is the author of several books, including Along the Ohio, Industrial Perspective, and The New Heartland. Borowiec is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, multiple Ohio Arts Council Fellowships, and the Cleveland Arts Prize. His photographs are held in major collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, Cleveland Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Library of Congress, and Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Q Sakamaki — Q. Sakamaki is a Japanese-born documentary photographer whose work explores human rights, conflict, and social change. He has documented communities and conflicts around the world, with photographs published in Time, The New Yorker, Newsweek, and National Geographic. His honors include a World Press Photo first prize, two Overseas Press Club awards, and two Days Japan International Photojournalism awards. He holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.

Greg Miller — Fine-art photographer and Guggenheim Fellow Greg Miller is known for using an 8×10 view camera and chance encounters with strangers to create richly detailed narrative portraits of American life. His long-term projects include Nashville, County Fair, Unto Dust, and Morning Bus, exploring community, ritual, childhood, and the ways people inhabit public space. Miller's photographs have been exhibited internationally and are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of the City of New York, George Eastman Museum, and Cleveland Museum of Art. His work has appeared in publications including TIME, LIFE, and Esquire, and he has taught at the International Center of Photography since 1999.

Natalie Keyssar — Brooklyn-based documentary photographer Natalie Keyssar focuses on inequality, youth culture, migration, and the human consequences of political turmoil and conflict, particularly across the Americas. Her work has appeared in publications including National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, TIME, and The New Yorker, and has been supported by the Pulitzer Center, Magnum Foundation, National Geographic Society, and International Women's Media Foundation. Keyssar is the recipient of the 2018 ICP Infinity Award for Emerging Photographer, 2019 PHmuseum Women Photographers Grant, and 2023 Aperture Creator Labs Photo Fund, with additional recognition from the Aaron Siskind Foundation, PDN 30, Magenta Flash Forward, and American Photography. She is also a Canon Explorer of Light.

Eric Pickersgill — Eric Pickersgill is a photographer and visual artist whose work examines the psychological and social effects of technology on contemporary life. He is best known for Removed, his internationally exhibited series exploring our relationship with personal devices. His work has been exhibited at museums, galleries, and cultural institutions around the world and is held in collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection. A recipient of the ASC Regional Artist Project Grant and a two-time TEDx speaker, Pickersgill has been featured by CNN, BBC, The Guardian, and The Atlantic. His work from Removed is featured in Act One: A Century in the Making.

Moderator

Eva Woolridge — Eva Woolridge is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker whose work explores identity, femininity, and her Black-American and Chinese-American heritage. A recipient of the inaugural Leica Women in Foto Award, her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Harper’s Bazaar, and The Boston Globe. She has spoken on racial equity in photography at the Schomburg Center, TEDx, Photoville, and Leica Akademie, and currently serves on the National Board of American Photographic Artists (APA).

Following the discussion, guests will have the opportunity to meet the photographers, have copies of Act One signed, and continue the conversation with members of New York's photography, creative, academic, and cultural communities.

Whether you are a photographer, student, educator, journalist, or simply interested in photography and the world around us, the evening offers an opportunity to engage directly with photographers whose work has borne witness to some of the defining events, transformations, and questions of our time.

Event Details

Friday, October 23, 2026
Picto Gallery New York
77 Washington Ave., 3rd Flr.
Brooklyn, NY 11205

Attendance is limited to 100 guests. Advance registration is required.

A limited number of tickets are available that include a copy of Act One: A Century in the Making. Books will also be available for purchase and signing at the event. Priority is given to books pre-ordered through purchase of attendance ticket that includes a copy of Act One.

Act One: A Century in the Making is published by Other Side Editions in a first and only edition of 2,000 copies.