From a colorful banner created in 1835 for the Journeyman House Carpenters’ Association of Philadelphia, to the roller-skating “Don’t Be a Scab” girls in New York’s Union Square, to a multitude of creative (and rainproof) signs that lined the sidewalk in front of every school in Los Angeles in January, art has always been an integral part of the labor movement.
Whether simple, persuasive, incisive or just downright funny, the art of labor struggles serves many purposes: to spread the word of injustice, attract attention, build support for workers, shame the bosses, and rally the union to victory, among others. Many famous works of labor art are striking and iconic, like the “I AM A MAN” sign carried by Memphis sanitation workers during their 1968 strike, and timeless in their simplicity, like the black and red Aztec eagle of United Farm Workers.
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Roxana Dueñas, a Roosevelt High School educator and UTLA member, became the face of the strike thanks to this artwork by Boyle Heights artist Ernesto Yerena. -
Educators, artists and community members created 24-foot-wide parachute banners at the UTLA Art Build. -
This banner, designed by artists Paul Kjelland and Jeanette Arellano, adorns Oakland Education Association Headquarters. Inset at left: Artwork by Nisha Seti. -
OEA member Kampala Taiz-Rancifer and her daughter Jade color Micah Bazant’s “Public Schools are the Heart of the Community” design. -
Oakland educators and supporters silkscreened hundreds of picket signs in preparation for a potential strike, -
The art builds attracted students and their parents, who painted and
created while also discussing how to improve their communities. -
The art of labor is rooted in our communities, reflecting
the images, values, hopes and dreams of united workers. It is
through these creations that they speak to the public about their
struggles — about what it means to be a worker in America.
Recent community “art builds” held by United Teachers Los Angeles and the Oakland Education Association have embraced
the idea that labor struggles are community struggles, inviting
local artists, students, parents and neighbors not only to paint,
draw and create, but also to talk about how they can work
together to create opportunity and improve their collective
quality of life.
“Our fight is for a better future for public education in
Oakland,” says OEA President Keith Brown. “We invited local
parents and students to join us in creating the artwork and
signs that will help educators defend and promote Oakland
public schools.”
To see an extensive collection of impactful and evocative labor art throughout history, visit Labor Arts.
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