Labor&Materials
21c Museum Hotel Durham - 111 Corcoran St, Durham, NC 27701
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Exploring the evolution of industry in the 21st century, Labor&Materials presents a precarious balance between promise and power.
The scale, scope, and speed of technological innovation heralds unprecedented changes in what, how, where, and by whom goods and services are produced and provided. Economists describe the explosion of radically new platforms and products emerging in the digital age—robots and other forms of automated labor, self-driving cars, three-dimensional printing, the explosion of bits and pixels transmitted across the internet, and the growing global network of trade driven by the shipping container—as an inflection point: a time in human history when how we live and work is utterly transformed.
What does an inflection point look like? How will the transformation of commerce and consumption affect access to goods and jobs, to information and infrastructure?
Industrial Tour of the Carrie Blast Furnaces
801 Carrie Furnace Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
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Connect with Pittsburgh’s steel industry heritage on this guided tour of the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark. Tours highlight the site’s iron-making technology, its workers, and their culture.
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006, Carrie, as it’s affectionately known, entices visitors to marvel at the scale and legacy of its industrial might. A remnant of the legendary U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works, the Carrie Blast Furnaces are a vestige of Pittsburgh’s 20th-century domination of the steel industry.
During this two-hour guided tour, you’ll hear stories about the site’s technology, including why it is nationally significant, as well as get to know the culture of its workers. You’ll also learn a bit about the iron-making process, from the movement of the raw materials to the tapping of the furnaces that produced fiery molten iron.
Morning and afternoon tours are offered seasonally from May through October.
Strike at Allis-Chalmers and Other Wisconsin Stories: Work by Artist in Residence John Fleissner
Charles Allis Art Museum, 1801 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53202
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This exhibition explores the struggle of the Allis-Chalmers workers in their heroic strike for union security and higher wages at the West Allis plant in 1941 and again in 1946. These workers organized a powerful union, United Auto Workers (UAW) 248, which became the backbone of the broader Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in Wisconsin. Their strike was met with repression, water cannons, and armored vehicles. The union's militant story is told through a large scale woodcut, historical photos, film and ephemera. Their story is our history; an urban industrial working class fighting for a better life. This Exhibition also explores other Wisconsin working class history, social movements, and folk culture, depicting a history and art practice for the many.
On view through October 24.
Pullman Porters & Maids: Invisible Labor, Visible Legacies
PullmanArts Block House Gallery, 11137 S. Langley Ave., Chicago
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Artist Shane-Jahi Jackson's new exhibition explores the lives and labor of the Pullman porters and maids whose work helped define luxury rail travel while remaining largely unseen. Developed through a research residency at the Newberry Library and drawing on Pullman Company archives, the exhibition uses figurative paintings and collage elements to recover and reimagine the stories of Black workers too often reduced to personnel records and historical footnotes.
Memorias de la Mujer Lotina: Arperillas, Women, and Coal in Chile (Champaign, IL)
Arperillas made by women in chile create counter-narratives of urban history from women's perspectives and influence historical preservation planning and policy. On view through Sept. 5, 2026. Click here for more information
Work in Progress (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
A multi-phase redesign of the Hamilton Workers Arts & Heritage Centre’s heritage exhibits unfolding until 2027 – reimagines how working people’s stories are told, and who gets to tell them. Click here for more information.
Also at the Hamilton Workers Arts & Heritage Centre: Drawing on Jay Youngdahl’s experience working with trade unions as a lawyer, organizer, and member, the exhibit I Don’t Want Your Millions (Billions), Mister proposes two ideas: that all workers are artists, and despite differences working people can build solidarity through collective struggle. More information here.
Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne (New York City, NY)
Have you ever wondered how everyday things are made? Christopher Payne’s photographs take you inside American factories, showcasing the traditional craftsmanship behind the creation of musical instruments, flags, footballs, and pinball machines, as well as the intricate hand processes still critical to creating the most advanced products, ranging from microchips to the Giant Magellan Telescope. Purchase tickets for the museum here.
Ting Tong Chang The Hidden Shift (Pittsburgh, PA)
Artist Ting Tong Chang murder mystery film is set in a fictional macaroni factory, where the factory owner is found dead and each character carries their own potential motives and suspicions. Showing at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh through to January 2027. Click here for more information.
Deadly Deception: The Asbestos Tragedy in McLean County(Bloomington, IL)
Exhibit reveals the hidden history of Bloomington’s UNARCO asbestos plant—spotlighting workers’ struggles, deadly conditions, and the national fight for justice that unfolded in our own backyard. On display in the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington, IL until 2027. Click here for more info.