Mayworks’ vision is to incite the creation and production of art that engages diverse artists and workers at the intersection of culture, economics and social justice. We showcase working people’s art and promote artists as workers and workers as artists. One way we do this is by recognizing the artistic contributions of artists and activists to the labour movement at the Mayworks Labour Arts Awards Gala.
Awards categories:
USW District 6 Women’s Committee, winner of the Traditional Labour Arts Award
for the creative design of a quilt or a banner to promote labour solidarity
Tzaná Miranda Leal, winner of the Artist Award for Excellence in Contribution to Labour and Social Justice Movement
for an artist who has significantly captured the values of the labour and social justice movements in their art
College Faculty, OPSEU CAATA Academic Division, winner of the Labour Organization Award for Excellence in Contribution to Labour Arts
for a labour organization which has made outstanding use of the arts to engage their membership
“Yeti on Strike” Anonymous OPSEU Member, winner of the Labour Creative Maverick Award
for an unusual and creative use of the arts to promote labour rights and awareness
D’Arcy Martin, winner of The Min Sook Lee Award for Outstanding Contribution to Labour Arts
for an individual who has captured the values of the labour and social justice movements in their art or through their activism over many years
This award is named in honour of Min Sook Lee, an activist-artist whose own contributions moved Mayworks Festival toward its current artistic vision to actively seek representation of equity groups as audiences and artists. Lee also helped Mayworks focus on programming that engages new, non-arts audiences, and that challenges Euro-centric notions of art.