CHICAGO—January 30, 2017—Due to extraordinary popularity, Project& today announced that its multimedia art exhibit, "Working in America," will extend its five-month run and remain on display at Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Library Center through March.
Inspired by Studs Terkel's 1974 book, "Working," and created by Project& President and Artistic Director Jane M. Saks, the exhibit features powerful photographs by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario. Those photos, along with accompanying text, tell the raw, honest stories of 24 everyday workers from around the country, including a veteran-turned-urban farmer, a retired oil field worker, a professional escort, a high school principal and others.
The exhibit comes at a time when issues of economic equity — the widening wealth gap, the minimum wage and the impact of globalization — fuel the national debate. "It's against that backdrop that the exhibit aims to reveal the centrality of work in all our lives and the role that work plays in how we see ourselves, others and our communities. It shows our similarities and differences, enhances public knowledge and reminds us all of our human interconnectedness," said Saks, who founded Chicago-based Project& in 2013 in order to create art with social impact.
"We are excited and proud to continue the display of 'Working in America,'" said Brian Bannon, Chicago Public Library commissioner. "The exhibit has been extraordinarily popular, and it helps support and strengthen the role of the library as a public square where ideas are brought to life and exchanged, whether that be through books, speakers, or — as in the case of 'Working in America' — a powerful art exhibit."
The "Working in America" exhibit was designed by Jeanne Gang and Studio Gang Architects and is part of a larger, multi-platform initiative that includes a radio series that aired in September on National Public Radio and an interactive online archive called "Your Working Story," where anyone across the country can add their own working stories and photographs.
About Project&
Project& collaborates with artists to create new models of cultural participation and experiences with social impact. We amplify artistic voices that risk, engage, investigate and inspire, highlighting issues at the forefront of our time including: race, gender, human rights and economic inequality. We create models and new work that cross platforms and focus on human experiences putting new narratives, agency, and equitable participation at the center. We hold multiple creative roles that are shaped by the context and vision of the work, and vary from project to project. They include creator, initiator, partner, producer, distributor and convener.
About Jane M. Saks
Jane M. Saks is a creative collaborator, arts producer, writer and educator who has worked to challenge and champion issues of gender, sexuality, human rights, race and power within the worlds of arts and culture, politics and civil rights, academia and philanthropy. She is Founding President and Artistic Director of Project&, and previously was the founding Executive Director of Columbia College's Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media. She has been a Fellow in the International Leadership Program National Arts Strategies and Leadership Greater Chicago, and is an Inductee of the City of Chicago's LGBT Hall of Fame.
About Lynsey Addario
Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist who regularly works for The New York Times, National Geographic, and Time Magazine. Lynsey's recent work includes reportage on Syrian refugees, the ISIS push into Iraq, the civil war in South Sudan, and maternal mortality in Sierra Leone. In 2015, American Photo Magazine named Lynsey one of the five most influential photographers of the past 25 years. She has received the MacArthur Fellowship and the Overseas Press Club's Olivier Rebbot Award. She is also the author of the 2015 New York Times best-selling memoir "It's What I Do," which chronicled her life as a photojournalist coming of age in the post-9/11 world.
About Jeanne Gang
Architect Jeanne Gang is the founding principal of Studio Gang, an architecture and urbanism collective located in Chicago and New York. A MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the National Design Award from the Cooper Hewitt Museum, she was named Architect of the Year by the Architectural Review in early 2016. Jeanne is recognized internationally for bold and functional designs that incorporate ecologically friendly technologies in a wide range of striking structures. With Studio Gang, Jeanne has produced some of today's most compelling design work, including the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, the WMS Boathouse at Clark Park, the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo, and Aqua Tower. She is currently engaged in major projects throughout North America.
About Chicago Public Library
Since 1873, Chicago Public Library ( CPL ) has encouraged lifelong learning by welcoming all people and offering equal access to information, entertainment and knowledge through innovative services and programs, as well as cutting-edge technology. Through its 80 locations, the Library provides free access to a rich collection of materials, both physical and digital, and presents the highest quality author discussions, exhibits and programs for children, teens and adults. CPL received the Social Innovator Award from Chicago Innovation Awards; won a National Medal for Library Services from the Institute for Museum and Library Services; and was ranked number one in the U.S. and third in the world by an international study of major urban libraries conducted by the Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf in Germany. For more information, please call ( 312 ) 747-4050 or visit chipublib.org .
