Featuring works by 35 contemporary artists, Working Thought examines the role of contemporary artists to consider and question the many ways economic disparity and labor have shaped American life past and present.
Margarita Cabrera, installation view of Space in Between series at Dallas Contemporary, 2019, image courtesy of the artist and Talley Dunn Gallery, photo credit: Kevin Todora
Working Thought showcases artwork across media and generations, highlighting connections between diverse artistic practices. In this exhibition, a combination of new commissions and loans are presented alongside works from the museum’s collection, positioning the collection in a new light and within the context of the history of Pittsburgh as a center of industry.
The exhibition probes the connections between art, economy, and labor within the larger historical relationship between Carnegie Museum of Art, Andrew Carnegie, and the city of Pittsburgh. The museum’s origins can be traced to 1886 with Andrew Carnegie’s initial concept: a museum that would “bring the world” to the people of Pittsburgh, particularly those who worked for the steel magnate. Traces of industry and toil can still be seen at the museum outside of Working Thought; from John White Alexander’s mural The Crowning of Labor which adorns the walls of the 1907 Grand Staircase, to artworks from the collection hanging throughout the museum, visitors can discern themes of labor and economy in every gallery.
The wide range of artworks featured in Working Thought provide many points of entry into the topics of labor and the economy and shed light on the power of art to complicate our most deeply seated assumptions about American history and the social inequities that mark contemporary life.
Working Thought is organized by Eric Crosby, Henry J. Heinz II Director.
Working Thought Film Series:
As part of Working Thought, five independent films by Frederick Wiseman, Barbara Kopple, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Charles Burnett, and Pittsburgh-based filmmaker Tony Buba will be screened in the Carnegie Museum of Art Theater. Each film addresses topics of labor and economy and will be presented by a local expert whose background engages with the topic of that film.
March 17, 2022, 6 p.m., American Factory (2019), Dir. Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
April 9, 2022, 1:30 p.m., Killer of Sheep (1978), Dir. Charles Burnett
April 28, 2022, 6 p.m., Harlan County, USA (1976), Dir. Barbara Kopple
May 21, 2022, 1:30 p.m., Lightning Over Braddock: A Rustbowl Fantasy (1988), Dir. Tony Buba
June 16, 2022, 6 p.m., Welfare (1975), Dir. Frederick Wiseman
Programs and Events:
Extending out of the galleries, the exhibition will feature a line-up of public programs connecting the region’s labor history and artistic practice through conversations, performances, and artist workshops.
March 10, 2022, 6 p.m. — In Conversation: Curators
April 21, 2022, 6 p.m. — Working Thought – A Celebration!
April 23, 2022, 10 a.m. — Making Art with Artists: May Day
April 23, 2022, 3:30 p.m. — In Conversation: Artists
May 7, 2022, 2 p.m. — In Conversation: Winant Siblings