Labor Art Rolls Through Detroit
Harold Phillips | Published on 9/15/2026
A rental truck transformed into a mobile gallery brought art by Union Hall Arts fellows to the recent Detroit Labor Day Parade and rally—showcasing not only their finished work, but the collaborative spirit behind it.
The truck’s design evolved as the artists worked together. Jamie Hearn, a member of UAW Local 276 in Texas, created the central symbol, combining the group’s ideas for a UHA “bug” into a single shared logo. Nevena Pilipović-Wengler from UAW Local 22 and Ana Palacios from UNITE HERE Local 11 drew the surrounding figures, each inspired by one of the fellows. On one side, the figures carry the tools of their trades; on the other, the tools of their creative practices.
After wrapping the truck in vinyl, the artists projected the imagery onto its sides, then traced and painted it by hand. Everyone pitched in, working long hours during their final week together.
“We wanted to soak up our final hours together,” said Annemarie Strassel, Director of Union Hall Arts.
Inside, the group transformed the rental truck into a white-walled gallery displaying smaller works by each artist alongside their stories. A television mounted at the back featured a short documentary about the Union Hall Arts Residency by Miles Eason, a member of UAW Local 140 and speakers played music by Dexter Dixon from UA Plumbers Local 98.
At the Labor Day rally, the ramp came down and the public was invited aboard—not only to explore the exhibition, but to make art themselves. The result was a moving celebration of labor, creativity and collective work, built by many hands and shared with Detroit’s labor community. Afterward, the truck went back to Talking Dolls Studio, the home of this year’s Union Hall Arts Residency, where Fellows celebrated with family and friends on the concluding day of the residency.
See more photos on Union Hall Arts' Instagram