We were mentioned in enemy of the show the New York Times by friend of the show Zachary Small! The movement to organize art and cultural workers has been steadily growing despite pandemic setbacks, how do we feel about it? We promise to never do the cis white art bro thing and claim to be an authority on this subject, even though we literally have dedicated our lives to studying it every week lol. We will, however, always advocate for better pay and workplace conditions for all workers, labor aristocracy be damned!
ALERT: JOIN OUR SCHOOL, NEW CLASSES DROPPING SOON! Please reach out to join the discord for “Constructing the Real” NOW!
BONUS EP: https://www.patreon.com/posts/63009999 Hours before Putin invaded Ukraine, we dropped our takes. We also discuss the rise of anti-trans legislation.
138 - Organizing Art Worker Power w/ Jessalyn Aaland
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The gang is joined by former SFMOMAunion bargaining committee member, and current artist and educator Jessalyn Aaland! We have a lovely discussion around her beautiful and informative risographed booklet series Organizing Power (contents available for free to institution and nonprofit workers interested in unionizing their workplaces!!). You wanna hear STRATEGY? We have OPINIONS. Get the zines and learn all about how different art institutions have been organizing all over the country, and how artists can help build solidarity. If you like the podcast and want more, please consider supporting us: https://www.patreon.com/artandlabor. Follow us on twitter and instagram. You can contact Art & Labor atartandlaborpodcast@gmail.com. Please reach out to join the discord for Lucia school “Constructing the Real” Also! Write us a review on Apple podcasts or whatever other platforms!!
Art and Labor is joined by members of the union-to-be of Baltimore’s Walters Art Museum, the Walters Workers United! OK and Lucia interview Ruby, Garrett, and Allison (who we unfortunately lost connection with!) about their path towards worker organization- from your standard total mismanagement of COVID in 2020 to toxic fumes passing staff out; dealing with the Walter’s particularly unique private/public state of matter, and what that means for accountability (xXx spoiler alert xXx: there’s a lack of it). The bright side of the bullshit? Secret slacks, not realizing you had a coworker ready for your trust fall, and as always, teachers’ unions!
You can check out the work the WWU is doing, a form letter to email, and information about how to get involved yourself at: https://waltersworkersunited.org
Alison Garret and Ruby also wanted to shout out to the Baltimore DSA in addition to the teachers union: https://baltimoredsa.org/
Lucia, Sarah and OK finally succumb to their greatest foe: internet monopolies and 1/4” of rain. Dana Kopel of @153local, and formerly @newmuseum_union, returns! Dana’s new piece in the Nation, a review of Laura Raicovich’s Culture Strike with the extremely metal title “Is it Time to Abolish Museums?” (Editors, folks, am I rite?) pokes at the soft spots in art world people’s heads that let them doublethink their way into the Barcelona chairs of institutional power. We talk about our eternal will they/won’t they Strike MOMA, the limits of culture, the limits of strikes, and add a layer to the Art and Labor lost media iceberg simply titled “super donuts”
Episode 117 - The Museum Union Wave Dossier w/ Maxwell Paparella
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After a lot of laughs and a few boners, all 4 elemental stones have been carefully nested onto their pedestals, and now we’re emitting lasers onto Leeloo to bring about that wacky 5th element, the Art and Labor podcast! We chat with Maxwell Paparella on his new (enormous) work in Art Papers, a dossier on the ongoing unionization struggle for museum workers in 18 different institutions. Through valiant effort and rhetorical wizardry, we do in fact find good news on planet Earth! Paparella keys us in on some victories for the movement (we love you Nan), and the unique hiccups that come with organizing artists (aka, having to be both inside/outside the gala/protest, although you know, with a quote from Byung-Chul Han that’d be a fantastic start to an artist statement for a show in a humid 9’x6′ room on the fourth floor of a chinatown walkup. Do you see our problem?) If you like the podcast and want more, please consider supporting us: https://www.patreon.com/artandlabor. Follow us on twitter and instagram. You can contact Art & Labor atartandlaborpodcast@gmail.com. Please reach out to join the discord for Lucia school “Constructing the Real” Also! Write us a review on Apple podcasts or whatever other platforms!!
Episode 90 - SAG-AFTRA's Failure of Leadership with Joe Hartzler
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We spoke with SAG-AFTRA member/twitch streamer Joe Hartzler (@jokehartzler) about how recent changes his union’s health insurance plan directly harms rank and file workers. The changes are the latest example in a decades long pattern of cutting services/wages for lower income actors. In the second half OK discusses recent actions Tenants Unions across the city have been doing to fight luxury development and its relationship to mass houselessness. Finally, Lucia discusses Constructing the Real and future of radical or safe education structures. If you like the podcast and want more, please consider supporting us: https://www.patreon.com/artandlabor. Follow us on twitter and instagram. You can contact Art & Labor at artandlaborpodcast@gmail.com. Please reach out to join the discord for Lucia’s school “Constructing the Real”
Hey guess what, we will never run out of hatred for Cuomo. Anyone actually paying attention hates Cuomo, wtf is wrong with instagram libs?? Guess what else?? Don’t go back to work, don’t pay taxes, don’t pay rent. The days are so, so, long now so please enjoy(?) some extra episodes from us! We do a roundup of all the actions and legislation labor orgs are pushing for right now. Some YOU can help with! Links posted below, for more info check our twitter. If you like the podcast and want more, please consider supporting us: https://www.patreon.com/artandlabor. Follow us on twitter and instagram. You can contact Art & Labor at artandlaborpodcast@gmail.com
Warning that this episode is gets into some heavy allegories, we’re very raw in our feelings. That said, we discuss the latest on Amazon NYC, which despite the AOC spin, is NOT A WIN. We also touch on the latest Art Miami Basel controversy spectacle, and the state of gentrification and unionization. Plus we make a bunch of references to Rick and Morty, The Irishman, and Promare. It’s a postmodern nightmare. If you like the podcast and want more, please consider supporting us: https://www.patreon.com/artandlabor. Follow us on twitter and instagram. You can contact Art & Labor at artandlaborpodcast@gmail.com
Turns our those rebellious rock ‘n’ rollers were scabbing the classical nerds?! Hello everyone! You’re in for a treat! David Turner (@pennyfractions) joins us to discuss the history of musician unions in the United States. David’s newsletter Penny Fractions covers the contemporary music industry and the troubled landscape of streaming platforms, algorithms, and promotion. Please go subscribe to it! We tie historical problems to our contemporary situation, and mention New Jails NYC, the UAW GM strike, and the Chicago teacher’s strike. If you like the podcast and want more, please consider supporting us: https://www.patreon.com/artandlabor. Follow us on twitter and instagram.You cancontact Art & Labor at artandlaborpodcast@gmail.com
David’s reading list: The Gold in Tin Pan Alley by Hazel Meyer, Tell Tchaikovsky The News by Michael James Roberts, The Musicians and Petrillo by Robert D. Leiter
Episode 55 - Freelance Solidarity Project with Haley Mlotek and Stella Becerril
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We’re back! We have a lovely discussion with Haley Mlotek (@haleymlotek) and Stella Becerril (@xicanaspice) from The Freelance Solidarity Project, which has recently decided to join National Writers Union (@paythewriter). The union is open to freelance, part time, and full time staffers of all mediums, regardless of location. JOIN HERE!
