Labor & Industry – The Art Show
Labor & Industry debuts for Tremont’s Art Walk on September 12th and proceeds through the month of September showcasing works of local artists based on the themes of Labor & Industry through a variety of mediums from photography, painting, sculpture and film.
Last September, Ohio Canal Corridor introduced Labor & Industry to celebrate the historic contributions of both coinciding with Labor Day of 2007. The exhibit, featuring a series of photographs by Roger Mastrionni, was held in an empty warehouse in Tremont and extended over a period of one month – from September to October, 2007. It was well received as it coincided with Tremont Art Walk events and the Tremont Art& Cultural Festival. Free Times gave it a full-page review.
For 2008, Ohio Canal Corridor looks to enhance “Labor & Industry” by expanding the offerings in a larger venue in Tremont - the Asterisk Gallery. The idea is to continue to associate the exhibit with Labor Day and use Tremont’s current position as a destination Art District for promotion.
Rather than one artist, however, Labor & Industry 2008 will accommodate a range of artists and art works. The goal is to produce a gallery exhibition that mixes subject matter both historic with modern within an ambiance of video, industrial soundscapes and live artistic demonstrations. It is a tribute to Labor and Industry and looks to include art from men and women – self-described laborers. To that end, there is a dedicated outreach effort to union tradesmen and laborers in search of art for the show with help from the AFL-CIO.
This project is grounded in the goals associated with the development of the Ohio & Erie Canalway – National Heritage Area. These goals are themselves a product of more than 75 public meetings. A central mission/goal for the Canalway is to provide interpretation of identified themes that are intimate to the story of the development of the region. In this regard, the story of Industry is recognized as a major theme for Cuyahoga County – especially noted within the Cuyahoga River Valley. The human side of Industry is obviously Labor.
The show is supported by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio & Erie Canalway Association.
There is a growing list of participants, which includes the following:
Historical Graphics - Vintage editorial Illustrations- Various artists
Book signing by local author Chris Dawson - "Steel Remembered", KSU Press,
Photographs from LTV Steel Collection - (Some book images displayed)
Industrial Design - Tribute to Viktor Schreckengost, the father of industrial design.
Film + Video - Footage from Inside Mittal Steel. Historic footage of industry in Cleveland
Hullets etc.) as well as Hollywood's take on theme (Deer Hunter etc)
Photography - Roger Mastrianni,Open Heart Surgery + Dan Morgan, Handmade Local
Products
Political Industrial Pop Art - Derek Hess, selections from new book, “Please God,
Save US”
Amateur Art - AFL-CIO members Art Contest
Contemporary Sculptural Art - Steven Yusko - represented by William Busta Gallery
Authentic Blacksmithing Demo - Larry Chiverton
Music / DJ - Adrian Bertolone - “Industrial Music”
More to be announced!
