Trespass presents
To Be of Use: Stories of Labor and Identity in Southwestern PA
a spoken word performance by Chuck Lanigan
From 'Industry' by Vincent Nesbert (Public Mural on Display in the Allegheny County Courthouse, Painted 1934-38)
July 31 - August 1 at 7pm
$5 admission includes refreshments, 21+
Southwestern Pennsylvania has a rich history of labor. From the beginning, the region and its individuals have identified themselves through the work they do. From mining coal to manufacturing steel, the stories workers told about themselves and which were told about them reinforced (or undermined) a sense of community and pride in their skills and value.
Now Southwestern Pennsylvania is reinventing itself for the global economy. Individuals and communities must adapt to new technologies, acquire new skills and pursue new opportunities. As their predecessors faced challenges pursuing a livelihood, workers now confront new financial uncertainty and shifting economic terrain laden with peril and possibility.
Join local writer and presenter Chuck Lanigan as he reflects on the changing nature of work and what it means to our sense of self as individuals and communities in the region. Weaving material drawn from first-hand interviews with contemporary workers in the 'burgh together with fictional and non-fiction accounts from Southwestern Pennsylvania's labor history, he shares stories we think we know, but seldom hear.
Check out Chuck's blog, Working Pittsburgh