LaToya Ruby Frazier

Expanding upon the artist's 2019 solo exhibition at the Renaissance Society in Chicago, this publication features LaToya Ruby Frazier's extensive body of work "The Last Cruze." 

Centering on autoworkers at the General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio, Frazier's photographs and interviews of the subjects record the devastating effects on the workers' families and their community after GM "unallocated" the plant, leading to its closure. The developments in Lordstown brought widespread attention to the small Rust Belt town. As the final days of production at GM Lordstown approached in 2019, the employees were faced with the difficult decision to either transfer to plants in other parts of the country, or lose their pension and benefits. For many, this meant uprooting the lives they knew, dividing their families, and leaving behind their support networks. 

During this long period of upheaval, Frazier spent part of each week in Lordstown, photographing the workers and letting them tell their own stories. She conveys their experience, the disrupting effects of these events, and the efforts of the local union -- United Auto Workers Local 1112 -- on behalf of its members. 

Published by The Renaissance Society in 2020

392 pages / 87 color plates, 124 halftones 
12 x 9 inches 
Edited by LaToya Ruby Frazier, Karsten Lund, and Solveig Øvstebø 
Designed by David Khan-Giordano
Printed by Studley Press, USA