A city’s Public Works department is sued multiple times over racial discrimination. Very demoralizing. Very expensive. The employees are 98% ‘white’ (European-heritage). It’s the kind of problem that an employee barbecue can’t solve.
Printmaking workshops and story circles with Public Services employees.
In July 2009, Public Services employees from a variety of divisions began participating in a series of ongoing story circles – on company time – with participants from all the unions and departments in Public Works. The stories focused on actual heritage – Greek, Italian, Franco, Irish, English, Russian – thus undermining the idea of a ‘white’ identity. Participants then carved elaborate prints of their work tools, memories of their heritage from family photos, work-related memories they cared about. These created a ‘dictionary of rubber stamps’ that participants used to tell their life stories.
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In these workshops, employees produced images about their jobs and personal heritages, creating a dictionary of images used to tell their stories. Final images were exhibited in the mechanics garages, recycling center, lunch room, and the accounting office.
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To extend the visibility and increase awareness of work accomplished by Public Services employees, selected images were printed onto paper coffee cups with the name, job, years of service and a quote from individual employees. In partnership with local coffee vendors, a series of the printed cups were to be used throughout Portland in July 2009.
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The project also produced several temporary art installations that were placed throughout the city. Each installation represented a division’s work – traffic signs, painting park benches, street light repair, sanitation – and were identified as art by the presence of a ceramic version of the printed coffee cups.