Grants, Fellowships and Commissions
- Columbia University, New York, NY, 1962–1966
- The Commission on Architecture and Urban Design, Binghamton, NY, 1966
- The Committee of Advisors to the Federal Highway Administrator, 1966–1967
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, 1968
- The Smithsonian Institution, 1970–1971
- Department of Transportation and the Smithsonian Institution, 1975–1976
- H. E. Butt Foundation, 1977
- The United Board of Homeland Ministries, United Church of Christ, New York, NY, 1976
- The New York Botanical Gardens and Society, 1978
- The Chicago Historical Society, 1980–1984
- The New York State Council on the Arts, 1966, 1987
- The Seymour H. Knox Foundation, 1987
- The Baird Foundation, 1987
- State Historical Society of Iowa, 1987–1988
- Iowa Humanities Board and The National Endowment for the Humanities, 1987–1988
Awards (selected)
- The Benjamin Barondess Award for Lincoln and His America, 1971
- American Library Association Notable Children's Books 1976, for Tugboat
- The Wilson Hicks Award for "Outstanding Contributions to Still Photography," 1977
- The Railroad History Award for "Significant Contribution to the Photographic Interpretation of North America's Railroading History," 1989
- Honored Image Maker Award for a lifetime of distinguished achievement in photography presented by the Society of Photographic Education Midwest Region, 2002
Professional Memberships
- The American Society of Media Photographers, Inc. (ASMP)
Exhibitions (selected)
Solo Shows
1960s
- Columbia University, New York, NY, "The Route of Lincoln's Funeral Train," 1965
1970s
- The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, "The Hand of Man on America" 1970–1971: Traveled throughout the United States under the auspices of the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibitions Service, 1971–1981
- The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, "Bridges: the Spans of North America" 1975: Traveled throughout the United States under the auspices of the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibitions Service, 1976–1981
- The International Center of Photography, New York, NY, "American Vernacular," 1976
- The Smithsonian Institution, Performing Arts Division, Washington, DC, "Railroad Men," 1976
- The Witkin Gallery, New York, NY, 1979
- Cincinnati Art Academy, Cincinnati, OH, 1979
1980s
- The Gilbert Gallery, Ltd., Chicago, IL, 1980
- The Gilbert Gallery, Ltd., Chicago, IL, 1981
- The Chicago Center for Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL, 1982
- The Federal Hall Museum, National Park Service, New York, NY, 1982
- The University of Virginia, College of Architecture, Charlottesville, VA, 1982
- The California Museum of Photography, University of California, Riverside, CA, 1982–1983
- Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, IL, "Industrial Landscape of Chicago,"1985
- University of Maryland, Catonsville, MD, 1985
- The Cleveland Children's Museum, Cleveland, OH, "Bridges," 1986–1989
- The Martin Gallery, Washington, DC, "Rural America," 1987
- Kunstmuseum, Luzern, Switzerland, in conjunction with The International Festival of Music, 1987
- Burchfield Center, Buffalo, NY, "The Lake," 1987–1988
- Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, Buffalo, NY, 1987–1988
- Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI, 1988
- Iowa State Museum, Des Moines, IA,"A Sense of Place," 1988–1989
- Iowa Humanities Board (traveling show), "A Sense of Place," 1988–1994
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Washington, DC, "A Sense of Place," 1989
- The University of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, 1989
1990s
- Exhibits U.S.A., A division of the Mid-America Arts Alliance Touring Exhibits Program, "Changing America: The Photographic Art of David Plowden," 1990–1993
- Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago, IL, "Natural History II," 1990
- The Muskegon Museum of Art/Grand Valley State University, "End of an Era," 1993
- Kathleen Ewing Gallery, Washington, DC, "Small Town America," 1994
- The University of Miami, School of Architecture, Miami, FL, 1996
- The Bayly Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, "American Views," 1997
- Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT, "Imprints David Plowden A Retrospective," 1997
- The Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, NY, "Imprints: The Photographs of David Plowden," 1997–1998
- Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL, 1998
- The Craven Gallery, Martha's Vineyard, MA, 1998
- Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 1998
- Tatar-Alexander Photographic Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, 1999
- The Spheris Gallery, Walpole, NH, 1999
2000–present
- The Laurence Miller Gallery, New York, NY, "Passage: A Forty-Year Retrospective," 2000
- Peter Fetterman Photographic Works of Art, Santa Monica, CA, 2001
- Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL, "David Plowden: Photographs," 2002
- COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, Napa, CA, "Barns," 2004
- Peter Fetterman Photographic Works of Art, Santa Monica, CA, 2004–2005
- Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago, IL, "David Plowden Vanishing Point (celebrating 75 years)" Nov - Dec 2007
Group Shows
1960s
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, Winter "Photography in the Fine Arts," 1967
1970s
- Kodak Gallery, New York, NY, Summer "The Face of Industry," 1976
- The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, "The River," 1976–1977
- Department of Fine Arts, University of Colorado, "The Great West," 1977; traveling exhibit by Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service, 1978–1980
- Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, NH, "By the Side of the Road," 1978
- The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, "Industrial Sites," 1979
1980s
- The Friedens Gallery, New York, NY, Fall "Chicago Photographers," 1982
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, "An Open Land: Photographs of the Midwest 1852–1982," 1983; traveled 1983–1986
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, "Chicago: The Architectural City," 1983
- State University of New York (traveling show), "Taking Liberty," 1986
- Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, KY, "Master American Photographers," 1986
- Illinois State University, Normal, IL, 1987; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 1987: "Road and Roadside"
- The Witkin Gallery, New York, NY, "Trains, Boats and Planes," 1988
- University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, "The Photographer and the Railroad," 1989
1990s
- Davenport Museum of Art, Davenport, IA: "Three Decades of Midwestern Photography," 1992
- University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, IA, "Plain Pictures: Images of the American Prairie," 1996–1997 (traveling show)
- Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL, "When Aaron Met Harry: Chicago Photography 1946/1971," 1996
- Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL, "Illinois Photographers in the Nineties: The Midwest Photographers Project," 1996–1997
- Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL, "Photography's Multiple Roles," 1998–1999
- Michael Price Gallery, Boston, MA, "Three Photographers," 1999
2000–present
- Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL, "The Landscape We Make," 2001
- Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago, IL, "The Landscape We Make," 2002–2003
- Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA, "Photography Collectors Choice," 2003–2004
Origins, Education and Employment | Bibliography | Media Coverage | Awards and Exhibitions