Retailing 14th Street Art Project Highlights Retail Workers' Experiences (10/2/09)

Dis-Posing features mannequins on New York's 14th street which highlight the struggles of modern retail workers. 

 On Thursday, October 1, the Retailing 14th Street art project began at Union Square South in New York City. The project, part of the Art in Odd Places festival, uses multimedia presentations to capture what it is really like for workers in the modern retail industry. Retailing 14th Street is presented by Common Threads Art Collective, a cooperative artistic committee led by workers from the RWDSU's Retail Action Project (RAP) and artist and educator Stephanie Rothenberg. The series will continue until October 26.

"Retailing 14th Street is an exciting artistic collaboration of retail workers and allied community who are using multi-media, performance art to draw public attention to the hardships retail workers face every day," said Carrie Gleason of RAP and Common Threads. "We opened up dialogue with the public about the reality of being an overworked and underpaid retail worker. We met new community supporters and retail workers."

According to RAP member Danny Pagen (top photo, far left), the show reflects his experiences growing up as the son of a retail worker. Pagen held a sign and gave out coupons pointing out that over 30 percent of retail workers are their family's sole provider.

"I'm one of those kids. My mom supported myself, my brothers and sisters on a low retail wage," Pagen said. "It was always a struggle to get by." 

Thursday's event opened with PB&J for a Retail Economy (left), where attendees got in line at a Great Depression-style bread line, where they were served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and "coupons" pointing out the long hours and often criminally low wages received by retail workers. PB&J for a Retail Economy was presented in collaboration with Rev. Billy and the Church of Life After Shopping.  

Thursday also marked the start of Dis-Posing, an exhibit featuring mannequins that further comments on the challenges faced by retail workers.

Retailing 14th Street continues throughout the month and features video installations, further Dis-Posing events and the distribution of the Retail Survival Handbook, written by retail workers.  

For more information on Retailing 14th Street and the Arts in Odd Places festival, visit www.retailing14thstreet.blogspot.com and www.artinoddplaces.org.