Art exhibit on the first anniversary of the Chicago Teachers Strike of 2012 begins Friday, September 6, at a gallery in Pilsen
An exhibit of photographs and art commemorating the first anniversary of the Chicago Teachers Strike of 2012 will open Friday in Pilsen. The Chicago Teachers Strike of 2012 began on the morning of September 10, 2012, and continued for seven school days.
On September 4, the Chicago Teachers Union issued the following press release:
The URI-EICHEN Gallery in Pilsen commemorates the one-year anniversary of the 2012 Chicago Teachers Union strike starting this Friday, Sept. 6, with the final installment of its “8 Hours for Work, 8 Hours for Rest, 8 Hours for What We Will” series of art shows on worker rights.
More than 50 CTU members and supporters submitted hundreds of photos, posters and pieces of memorabilia for the exhibit, which opens with a launch party Friday at 6 p.m. for CTU members, families and staff. The show opens to the general public next Friday, Sept. 13. Admission is free.
The Sept. 13 reception will feature a panel discussion on public education and privatization in Chicago moderated by David Moberg, a senior editor at In These Times magazine. Panelists include CTU Recording Secretary Michael Brunson, Erica Clark of Parents 4 Teachers, Roosevelt University professor Stephanie Farmer and author and historian Rick Perlstein. Art teacher Lourdes Guerrero, fired by the Chicago Board of Education, will share testimony about how she successfully fought the district to reclaim her job, while Mark Dvorak of the Old Town School of Folk Music and teachers Stacy Holzwarth, Meg Nally and Brianna Valenti will provide music.
Following the Sept. 13 opening, the show will run through Oct. 4 with hours by appointment only. Classrooms and small groups are welcome. Please contact Kathy Steichen at gabbyfish@hotmail.com for more information or to make an appointment.
The gallery is located at 2101 S. Halsted St. in Chicago. Visit online at www.uri-eichen.com.
Baked goods for the Sept. 6 launch party will be donated by Beurrage, a small-scale bakery in Pilsen. For more information, please visit www.beurrage.com.
