Sep 6 – Oct 24, 2024
Opening Reception September 6, 5-8pm
2nd Reception, October 4, 5-8pm

Useful Labor vs Useless Toil is a pamphlet and lecture given by the decorative artist, poet and philosopher William Morris in 1884. It was a critique of the waste and inequality inherent in the capitalist system exacerbated by the Industrial Revolution. A new relationship between man and machine was born and Morris felt the need to sound the alarm bell. While he did not object to the use of machines to ease and assist labor, he was concerned about the potential of new technology to replace skilled labor. He worried about out quality of life and in particular the sense of satisfaction and pleasure derived from meaningful work. This exhibit will examine our relationship to various forms of technology as creative tools. Industrial revolution era machines such as the printing press, jacquard loom, and knitting machines are still in use today. Can we express ourselves creatively and with a satisfactory level of craftsmanship and artistic expression using machines vs creating things wholly by hand? How does technology change the creative process? And what of the looming technology of our era? What are the dangers and benefits of artificial intelligence to the creative process and to the skilled labor of today?

Participating artists:
Melissa Conroy • Pamela Drix • Leslie Ford • Aileen Holmes • Craig Mains • Elizabeth Meiklejohn • Margo Mensing • Daniel Preston • Laura Robert • Laura Rowley • Werner Sun • Anna Warfield • Julia K Wright