|
Trump Fires National Portrait Gallery director; Arts Advocates Push Back
Washington, DC — In a stunning and possibly illegal move, President Donald Trump has reportedly fired National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, a top leader at the Smithsonian Institution, a federal entity long regarded as politically independent. The action, first reported by The Washington Post, marks Trump’s first direct intervention in the operations of the nation's flagship cultural institution. Advocates for the arts are speaking out, with some planning direct action in response. “I love the Portrait Gallery, and I especially love the exhibit The Shape of Power,” said Karen Nussbaum (Activists Launch “Patrons for the Kennedy Center” to Defend Arts and Democracy 3/31). “I’ll be there (Saturday, 5/31, 11:45a-1:30p or so) with our Hands Off the Arts vests and palm cards on how to fight back. Ya gotta do something.” The legality of Trump’s action remains unclear, as presidential authority over the Smithsonian’s internal leadership is limited by statute and tradition. Arts supporters are urging the public to take action by calling their elected representatives: U.S. Senate: 202-224-3121; U.S. House: 202-225-3121.
IF YOU GO: pin a sign on your shirt that says Hands Off The Arts--I Support Kim Sajet. More protest actions and ideas are expected to surface as details unfold.
| | |
"High Iron" Brings Labor History to Life in Laramie
LARAMIE, WY — High Iron, a powerful piece of public art and history, has arrived in Laramie for a year-long stay through summer 2025. Housed in a repurposed train car, High Iron is more than a mobile museum—it’s a living monument to labor, immigration, and collective memory. The interactive exhibit centers labor stories often left untold: from the ancestors who built the transcontinental railroad, to multigenerational workers who helped shape Wyoming’s economy, to today’s rail workers and their unions. Visitors are invited to explore a deeply immersive space, contribute oral histories, and participate in community programming that highlights the state’s diverse heritage and enduring culture of care. “This project shines a light on buried narratives,” organizers note, “honoring crucial labor, immigrant contributions, and the dignity of working people across generations.” High Iron is open to the public every Saturday, with rotating special events and programs listed on the events page.
For more information or to get involved, contact Aubrey Edwards at aubreyedwards@gmail.com.
| | |
Labor Arts News Briefs
Independence Seaport Museum Workers Join AFSCME: Workers at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia have voted overwhelmingly to unionize with Philadelphia Cultural Workers United, AFSCME Local 397 (District Council 47). Read more.
Faculty at New York’s School of Visual Arts Form Union: Faculty at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York have voted overwhelmingly to unionize with the UAW, forming SVA Faculty United-UAW. Read more.
Hearst Connecticut Media Group Workers Vote to Form Union
Journalists at Hearst Connecticut Media Group won their union election to form the Connecticut News Guild, an affiliate of The NewsGuild-CWA, in a powerful landslide vote. Read more.
Snap Judgment Podcast Wins First Contract—and Audio Union Bug: Members of NABET-CWA Local 59051 at the hit podcast Snap Judgment have ratified their first contract with KQED Studios, winning protections against AI displacement, intellectual property rights, and increased vacation time.
Sources: AFL-CIO Daily Brief, CWA Newsletter
| | |
Ugly Nasty Commie Bitch – Carsie Blanton
Carsie Blanton will be performing and leading a session at the upcoming Great Labor Arts Exchange; click here for details and to register (only a few spaces left!).
| | |
The Longshoremen’s Noon
by Mircy Coca Soriano
John George Brown’s The Longshoremen’s Noon (1879) is a poignant portrait of dockworkers taking a break from their laborious day and is displayed in the National Gallery of Art’s West Building. This painting, a masterpiece of realism, captures the dignity and hardship of manual labor, and its significance goes beyond the depiction of working men. Read more here.
| | |
“to be is to do (Descartes) / to do is to be (J-P. Sartre) / do be do be do (Sinatra).”
Jeanne-Claude; Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (of Christo and Jeanne-Claude), from the NYTimes: Where Christo and Jeanne-Claude Cast Their Spells: “In the living area, she also pasted pieces of paper with quotes she enjoyed.”
| | Set Their Hearts on Fire. On this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour: Artist Tabitha Arnold joins Michael DeForge to talk art, organizing, and resistance through illustration. Ricardo Levins Morales returns with wisdom from the road and the picket line, reflecting on healing, justice, and the difference between messaging and truth-telling. Plus: Labor History in 2:00 and a new track from the Dropkick Murphys. Listen Thursdays at 1p on WPFW 89.3FM or online at wpfwfm.org | | | Like this newsletter? Help us spread labor art by passing it along! | | CLICK HERE for our complete labor arts calendar; look for our Labor Arts Calendar edition on Monday | | |
May 31, 1997
Rose Will Monroe, popularly known as Rosie the Riveter, dies in Clarksville, Ind. During WWII she helped bring women into the labor force.
| | |
Mongrel Firebugs and Men of Property. On this week’s Labor History Today podcast: Steve Fraser discusses his book “Mongrel Firebugs and Men of Property: Capitalism and Class Conflict in American History” and political scientist and historian Michael Munk connects 2024 Minneapolis with the general strike that took place there in 1934. Plus, Meany Archivist Ben Blake on how the labor movement has used car caravans, the “En Masse” podcast takes us inside the New England quarries nearly a century ago, and we celebrate the life of Rosie the Riveter.
| |
| How long was the 2000 Dakota Beef meatpackers’ sit-down strike? | | | | LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: An estimated 100,000 textile workers, including more than 10,000 children, struck in the Philadelphia area on May 23, 1903. | | |
"The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too."
Please CLICK HERE NOW to pledge your financial support to our 2025 program, which includes our annual Solidarity Forever Award, the Great Labor Arts Exchange, the DC Labor FilmFest and much more (check out our website for details!).
Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
| | | | |
