After Labor Day, few contemplate, or celebrate, working people of America— but for the sixth year, the Chicago Labor & Arts Festival will see that labor is celebrated long after the Labor Day picnic barbecue coals have chilled.
Who is labor? “Labor” can be broadly defined as: the group or class of people who work and do not own the means of making what they produce; those who have worked, but have been downsized out of a job; and those who have no hope of ever holding a job that will provide them the opportunity for material and cultural sustenance. By this definition, “labor” encompasses about 90 percent of the people in this country—teachers, factory workers, firefighters, and millions more.
Across this broad spectrum are laborers who translate their struggles and triumphs into music, poetry and other artistic forms. The Festival’s mission is to showcase this art and to stimulate artists to respond, either individually or collectively, to the social challenges of the changing work and community environment.
Throughout September, The Labor & Arts Festival is presenting a variety of cultural events. Through art and a humanitarian approach, the Labor & Arts Festival works to stimulate and challenge us all to use our imaginative powers.
Chicago Labor & Arts Festival Program Schedule:
Wednesday, Sept. 25. 7:30 p.m. Guild Complex at Chopin Theatre 1543 W. Division St., (downstairs) Women of Heart and Steel Play by Mary Bonnett, Lisa Layer and Joan McGann Morris. Music by Ken Morris, presented by Working Women History Project. $5 general admission/$3 for students, seniors, Complex members, and open mic readers.
Reception in the Guild performance space. Meet and exchange experiences with other participants. Comments from Tom Strunk and others to answer the question: Where do we go from here?
Thursday, Sept. 26, 3-5 p.m. Loyola University, Simpson Multi-purpose Room, southeast corner of Winthrop St. and Sheridan Rd. Anti-sweatshop Fashion Show Music by renowned folk singers Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow. Donation requested.
Friday, Sept. 28, American Indian Center, 1630 W. Wilson Ave. Featuring 13 years of t-shirt art and ART-ACT: the Anti-Racist T-shirt Art Contest Tour
5-9 p.m.: ART-ACT
6-8 p.m.: Potluck Dinner
7-10 p.m.: Pow-Wow
FREE Events!
Saturday, Sept. 29, American Indian Center, 1630 W. Wilson Ave.
noon-10 p.m. “Art of the T-shirt”
3-5 p.m. Round Table Discussion
5-7 p.m. “The Buffalo War” by Matthew Testa examines the clash between Native Americans, ranchers, environmentalists and government who battle over the yearly slaughter of America’s last wild bison.
8-10 p.m. Poetic License by David Yanofsky Performance poetry, or “spoken word” is a force among American teens. With roots as diverse as West African Griot tradition, Native American oral storytelling and Beat Bebop, poetry gives teens a chance to sort out complex issues like racism and sexuality.
Sunday, Sept. 29, Time TBA, American Indian Center, 1630 W. Wilson Ave. Native American Film Festival Curator: David Spencer
For more information on the festival send email to: info@chicagolaborart.org or call (773) 761-1229 or visit the Chicago Labor & Arts Festival at www.chicagolaborarts.org. Chicago Labor & Arts Festival 6 is partially funded by the Illinois Humanities Council. Sponsors of the Festival include: the Guild Complex; UNITE! (Union of Needle trades and Industrial Textile Employees); International Brotherhood of Teamsters; Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center; Loyola Students Against Sweatshops; and other community, union and arts organizations. |
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