The 16th annual Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts sought to showcase the kind of art which can provoke audiences into action. The Festival opened at a time when workers around the world were experiencing wages stagnate and decline, working hours dramatically increase and social support systems crumble. It also took place in an era of energetic and popular resistance against handing over control of trade, investment and social decisions to transnational corporations. Within this context, Mayworks 2001 presented over 40 events involving close to 250 artists at 32 locations across the GTA.