Exiles From the Future Vol.2 Labour Panel

April 20, 2024 from 2:00pm-4:00pm

Event Information:
Organized with Manden Murphy

Panelists include: Meagan Christou (AGO technician and strike captain); Vanessa Rieger (Power Plant shop steward and senior technician); and Luis Jacob (artist and assistant professor at University of Toronto). The panel will be moderated by Jack Copple (Toronto & York Region Labour Council employee and former shop steward at the Gladstone Hotel).

This year, in addition to the fundraiser exhibition, there will be a panel discussion about working and organizing in cultural institutions in the city, on April 20th. Grounded in an intertwined history between labour movements and the arts, panelists will share their experiences unionizing, how notions of volunteerism are often conflated with artistic production, and how we might develop strategies for a more equitable future. Furthermore, this panel asks: how do past and present labour inequities highlight a disconnect between the progressive image of our public institutions and the reality of their often exploitative working relationships.