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Labour Arts Catalyst

Mayworks’ Labour Arts Catalyst pairs artists with local labour organizations in a collaborative art-making process. From an open call for submissions artists are annually selected to participate in this 8 month residency offering collaboration, research, mentorship and support to develop art works for presentation at the Mayworks Festival.

Submissions will open in Spring 2025.

Labour Arts Catalyst Festival 2022:  Alexandra Yeboah, Anna Jane McIntyre, David Yu, Funmilola Lawson, Maandeeq Mohamed, Maysam Ghani, Nasim Asgari, Paul-Daniel Torres
Labour Arts Catalyst Festival 2023:  Kamika Peters, Sonali Menezes, Zinnia Naqvi
LabourArts Catalyst Festival 2024:   Atanas Bozdarov, Julianna A.S., Kristine White
Labour Arts Catalyst Festival 2025:   Andre Lopez, Krish Dineshkumar, Monica Cheema

Condé Beveridge Labour Arts Residency

Carole Condé (June 27, 1940 – July 19, 2024) will be remembered for her dedication to building an art practice centred around revolutionary social change. Her work responded to critical and contemporary cultural, social, and political issues.  She rejected the elite capitalist artworld and brought representations of working people to art made with and for the people.

Along with long-time collaborator and partner, Karl Beveridge, they created a significant body of work, spanning over fifty years. Their work involved collaboration with union members and spoke to issues of labour justice. They have exhibited internationally and been recognized for their significant artistic contributions.  Condé and Beveridge have been leaders in the field of labour arts in Canada and are founding members of both the Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts and the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre in Hamilton.

This residency program seeks to embody: the spirit of collaboration; the commitment to labour movements and social analysis; the openness to artistic genres; and the public accessibility that is found in their practice.

Taking place over two years, it offers an artist or an artist group collaboration, research mentorship, and support to develop art for presentation at the Mayworks Festival.

Submissions open on January 9, 2025, with a deadline of February 18, 2025. Further information and submission details are available here. 

Volunteer

Join the Mayworks Community

 Volunteer for Mayworks 2025
Mayworks will soon be seeking volunteers to assist in a variety of tasks from event photography and documentation to ushering and greeting.

Join the Board
If you have a passion for the arts and a dedication to the labour movement (formal and grassroots), we want to hear from you! Please find more information here.

Support

Mayworks values the support and participation of the community in our festival. We thank all those individuals and organizations who have contributed their art, their time, their expertise, their space, and their presence.

The Mayworks festival is free and open to everyone.  Please consider making a donation to help cover the costs of creating and presenting artwork that advances the struggle for better working and living conditions. Donations can be made here.

Mayworks relies on and is extremely grateful for the support of many unions not only for their generous financial contributions but for their participation as collaborators and partners.

If you’d like to support Mayworks as a presenting partner, collaborator or supporter, we have opportunities for festival 2025.  Please contact our Festival Director at director@mayworks.ca

Open Calls

Coming soon. 

Announcements

Congratulations to the Mayworks 2024 Labour Arts recipients!  Read about them here.