EBOOK
About
The Art of Solidarity delves into the rich tapestry of labour arts and heritage in Canada-from protest music and union banners, to murals, community theatre, and oral histories, to workers' history museums and arts festivals-showcasing how these expressions of working people's culture have been essential to challenging inequality and fostering solidarity. This inspiring collection highlights the resilience and creativity of labour arts and heritage practitioners who, despite financial and organizational challenges, continue to amplify the voices and experiences of working-class communities. In an economy characterized by growing polarization, inequality, precarity, and uncertainty about the future and meaning of work, labour arts and heritage has a central role to play in providing answers that challenge the prevailing narratives about whose work matters and whose efforts are central to our communities' wellbeing. This work is more important than ever before. The Art of Solidarity delves into the rich tapestry of labour arts and heritage in Canada.
"A welcome addition to Canadian labour studies, The Art of Solidarity spotlights working-class cultural institutions that activists have built to sustain labour arts and heritage. Rooted in a refreshingly expansive view of working-class experience and the vital role of culture in labour movements, this inspiring collection gathers first-hand accounts from institution-builders, artists, and historians. Confronting the often-fraught cultural politics of labour, it powerfully affirms the necessity of public spaces that preserve and advance worker-centred visions of just and equitable futures."
"Labour history and culture were once passed on informally in the workplace and the union hall. But those vital links were broken as work, unions, and community were eroded by capital. The memory of resistance and visions for the future are now being rebuilt more consciously and formally. Part history lesson, part how-to manual, part hope for the future, this book will help us rebuild those links of solidarity."
"The Art of Solidarity is a landmark volume that documents the dynamic history and present of labour arts and heritage organizations in Canada. Kristofferson and Ross have brought together an impressive range of organizations, artists, and researchers to show that labour is not only the source of all creativity, but that creativity, in turn, nourishes the labour movement's collective memory, tactics of resistance, and visions for a better future. This inspiring volume dignifies labour's cultural history and imagines bold futures for movements rooted in economic and social justice-and in the labour, love, and joy of making art."
"All too often, art and heritage are cast as mere accessories to the pressing struggles to build a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world. This inspiring collection provides ample testimony to the contrary, showing us how diverse practices of remembering, celebration, and creative expression are central to the ongoing work of solidarity, activism, and community building."
"The culture of working people is often born through struggle to better their working conditions and advance their rights. From picket line songs to protest march placards, art allows workers to communicate with each other, to promote a key message, and to express their feelings in moments of conflict. The Art of Solidarity showcases historians, musicians, curators, and filmmakers who have dedicated themselves to presenting the workers' side of the story in a volume that will inspire labour movement activists who want to follow in their footsteps."
"A welcome addition to Canadian labour studies, The Art of Solidarity spotlights working-class cultural institutions that activists have built to sustain labour arts and heritage. Rooted in a refreshingly expansive view of working-class experience and the vital role of culture in labour movements, this inspiring collection gathers first-hand accounts from institution-builders, artists, and historians. Confronting the often-fraught cultural politics of labour, it powerfully affirms the necessity of public spaces that preserve and advance worker-centred visions of just and equitable futures."
"Labour history and culture were once passed on informally in the workplace and the union hall. But those vital links were broken as work, unions, and community were eroded by capital. The memory of resistance and visions for the future are now being rebuilt more consciously and formally. Part history lesson, part how-to manual, part hope for the future, this book will help us rebuild those links of solidarity."
"The Art of Solidarity is a landmark volume that documents the dynamic history and present of labour arts and heritage organizations in Canada. Kristofferson and Ross have brought together an impressive range of organizations, artists, and researchers to show that labour is not only the source of all creativity, but that creativity, in turn, nourishes the labour movement's collective memory, tactics of resistance, and visions for a better future. This inspiring volume dignifies labour's cultural history and imagines bold futures for movements rooted in economic and social justice-and in the labour, love, and joy of making art."
"All too often, art and heritage are cast as mere accessories to the pressing struggles to build a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world. This inspiring collection provides ample testimony to the contrary, showing us how diverse practices of remembering, celebration, and creative expression are central to the ongoing work of solidarity, activism, and community building."
"The culture of working people is often born through struggle to better their working conditions and advance their rights. From picket line songs to protest march placards, art allows workers to communicate with each other, to promote a key message, and to express their feelings in moments of conflict. The Art of Solidarity showcases historians, musicians, curators, and filmmakers who have dedicated themselves to presenting the workers' side of the story in a volume that will inspire labour movement activists who want to follow in their footsteps."