30 Objects for 30 Years of the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre
Curated by Sylvia Nickerson and Tara Bursey
Drawing on WAHC’s collection of heritage objects, this exhibition commemorates our 30th anniversary championing working people and their labour through history, culture and art. Solidarity and unity, struggles for fairness, and experiences at work, home, and play have shaped working class life for generations. Thirty objects from the past 150 years reflect this culture and history of working people, locally and beyond.
Our permanent collection reflects our organizational values of dignity, equity and solidarity. It also represents ways of working, workers, and experiences that have been marginalized. This exhibition invites you to explore how work is a lens through which broader social change can be understood, and how the past is echoed in the experiences of working people today.
Opening Reception & WAHC Anniversary Party – Friday, September 19th, 6:30-8:30 pm
Thirty for Thirty Guided Exhibition Tour – Thursday, October 16, 6:30-8 pm
Michael DeForge on Contemporary Artist-Activism: A virtual talk moderated by Sylvia Nickerson – Thursday, November 20, 6:30-8:30 pm
Activist Printmaking on Fabric with Cleopatria Peterson – Saturday, November 22nd, 1 – 4 pm
IMAGE, TOP: Detail from Button Banner, collected and created by Karl Beveridge and Carole Condé, 1980s-2024. From the Condé Memorial Collection.
IMAGE, CENTRE: Patch, UAW Oshawa Hockey Champions, 1962-63. From the Condé Memorial Collection.
IMAGE, BOTTOM: Poster, Women In Trades and Industry Dance, 1981.
WAHC wishes to acknowledge the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Hamilton, the Province of Ontario, CUPE National, the Canada Council for the Arts, Canada’s Building Trades Unions, OPSEU/SEFPO and Teamsters Local Union 879 for their support of our exhibitions and ancillary programs.
