Retail Workers Express Themselves With “Common Threads” (11/17/08)

This painting, Retail Madness: The Register,  by Joey Rodriguez relates to the pressure of working in a retail shop.

Over 20 artists are exhibiting paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture, and poetry related to, inspired by and in critique of the retail industry in “Common Threads: Artists in Spite of Retail,” a group show in downtown New York City. The show draws community attention to workplace injustices experienced by retail workers.
The Common Threads art show was initiated by young group of members of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union’s Retail Action Project.

“This is a way for us to bring together retail workers, artists, and community supporters,” said “Q,” a retail worker who acted as curator for the exhibit.
The show was several months in the making, with Retail Action Project members meeting to solicit art and recruiting volunteers from the communities to help run the show.

“Art and creative expression have always been an important part of the labor movement,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. “We are proud to be involved with a project that allows these retail workers to communicate their art with the public.”

The exhibition is being held now through November 30 at the Brecht Forum at 451 West Street, New York, NY, between Bethune St. and Bank st. Email commonthreadsart@gmail.com or call 212-684-5381 for more information.

Losing Color 

Judith Derrien, a RAP member and former Starbucks and Yellow Rat Bastard employee, described her print, Losing Color, as an attempt to convey the deep frustration shared by young retail workers.

 “In my print, I created a woman with color seeping from her face showing how sickened she is by her mistreatment at work,” Derrien said.