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Curator Talk: Work for America: Images of Labor and Industry During the Great Depression

Museum Exhibit Lecture History

What’s Happening?

Join us for a conversation about the notions of work and the moralizing work ethic that dominated American understandings of national identity, social standing, and self-esteem. During the Great Depression (1929–1941), when the stock market collapsed, multiple industries shut down, and unemployment rose to 25%, work was touted as the most important factor in restoring both the U.S. economy and national confidence in capitalism and democracy.

American artists played a major role in this restoration, producing images that largely reaffirmed the country’s work ethic and industrial labor. Some artists also depicted the general strikes, labor rallies, and class struggles that consumed the era.

Focusing on paintings and photographs in the exhibition “Built to Last: The Shogren-Meyer Collection of American Art,” this talk examines how a diverse group of American artists represented work, workers, and industrial capitalism at a pivotal historical moment.

Free tickets available starting February 27, 2026.

Image: Edmund Lewandowski, American, 1914–1998. The Waterfront, 1935. Oil on board. The Shogren-Meyer Collection. EL2026.5.2

Join us for a conversation about the notions of work and the moralizing work ethic that dominated American understandings of national identity, social standing, and self-esteem. During the Great Depression (1929–1941), when the stock market collapsed, multiple industries shut down, and unemployment rose to 25%, work was touted as the most important factor in restoring both the U.S. economy and national confidence in capitalism and democracy.

American artists played a major role in this restoration, producing images that largely reaffirmed the country’s work ethic and industrial labor. Some artists also depicted the general strikes, labor rallies, and class struggles that consumed the era.

Focusing on paintings and photographs in the exhibition “Built to Last: The Shogren-Meyer Collection of American Art,” this talk examines how a diverse group of American artists represented work, workers, and industrial capitalism at a pivotal historical moment.

Free tickets available starting February 27, 2026.

Image: Edmund Lewandowski, American, 1914–1998. The Waterfront, 1935. Oil on board. The Shogren-Meyer Collection. EL2026.5.2

More about Minneapolis Institute of Art
Inspiring wonder through the power of art. The Minneapolis Institute of Art enriches the community by collecting, preserving, and making accessible outstanding works of art from the world’s diverse cultures.
When & Where
Mar 29, 2026, 2:00pm to 3:00pm Timezone: CDT
Free


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