“I do not want art for a few any more than I want education for a few or freedom for a few.” The festival welcome of the first Mayworks Festival opens with the words of social reformer and artist William Morris.
The program offers a window into the ways that, from its inception, Mayworks sought to celebrate the rich cultural life that exists in the labour movement. Extending on exchanges between trade unionists and artists, Mayworks ’86 is a rich contribution to labour arts — and the start of meaningful collaborations between artists, workers, and organizers.