People at work in the “quiet corner” have been anything but quiet. Trains rumble through, machines clamor, tractors roar, and musicians toot their horns. 2014 is a year- long look at the past, present and future of work . CT at Work is a CT Humanities statewide initiative featuring presentations, performances, discussions and more to look at work. So get on board to discover railroad work during Railroad Days in Willimantic, tell your farm story at Blue Slope Farm Museum, or “apply for work” in
Woodstock 19th century style at the Roseland Cottage program “Domestic Help Wanted.”
Also featured is The Way We Worked, an exhibition created by the Smithsonian Institution, which draws on the National Archives’ rich photographic collections to document 130 years of changing work life in America. The Way We Worked tours Connecticut and will be in our area at the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry from Aug. 9, 2014 to September 14, 2014.
Using 86 images spanning the years 1857-1987, video, audio and interactive components, the exhibition reveals the effects of industrialization, urbanization, immigration, labor unrest, wars and economic depression on ordinary working American, whether on a tractor, at a typewriter, or on a assembly line.
The Way We Worked,, is part of Museum on Main Street supported by the U.S. Congress, a collaboration of the Smithsonian Institution and the States Humanities Councils nationwide . The Connecticut tour of The Way We Worked is made possible by Connecticut Humanities in partnership with Historic New England.
It’s not too late to get involved and showcase your work story! Be Creative. There are programs and films available. Let’s get to work! For more information visit cthumanities.org bevishistory@yahoo.com