When Mayworks was first conceptualized in the early 1980s, it signified the beginning of meaningful collaborations and exchange between artists, workers, and organizers. Audiences were invited to celebrate the rich cultural life of labour organizing and to work towards shared visions: better working and living conditions for all. This newly launched archival collection includes digitized programs from each year since Mayworks’ inaugural festival in 1986. Each program contains details about the artists, workers, collaborators, volunteers, and participants that make Mayworks possible. The names of artists, exhibitions, and events lend themselves as a non-exhaustive database for deepening our understanding of labour arts. We invite you to utilize this database to reflect on the past, present, and future of labour arts in Toronto and beyond.
Searching the database:
Use the “Artist” search function to find the work of a specific artist involved in Mayworks Festival. If the artist was part of more than one festival, then multiple programs will appear.
Select a “Year” to explore a specific festival.
Use the “Search…” bar for keyword searches. This function only works for Mayworks Festival 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, and 2017. Previous programs can be searched manually.