Welcome to MayWorks 2009
View the MayWorks 2009 events listing.
“And we will never give up, we will never give in
And we’ll never, ever go away
We will build a brand new future for our daughters and our sons
We will work ’til all workers rise as one”Joe Jencks from the CD Rise As One
This is the 15th year for the Festival and it is also the 90th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike. What is the connection between the two?
The great struggle that was the Winnipeg General Strike is what inspired us to build a Festival that celebrates the art and culture that emerges from people’s struggles.
We took as our cue these words of Bertolt Brecht: “Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.”
MayWorks is a festival that brings together artists who, through their art, seek to educate and organize around social, political and environmental issues.
This being the 90th Anniversary of the General Strike the theme is “Rise as One”.
Several presentations are dedicated to that history, including Danny Schur’s dramatic recreation of “Bloody Saturday” on the very street that witnessed the Winnipeg General Strike’s most momentous events.
There are also events that deal with today’s struggles such as “GWG: Piece by Piece” by Maria Dunn which documents the lives of garment workers and “Rise Up Singing” featuring Anne Feeney and Joe Jenecks.
Whatever your interest, we are sure you will enjoy the 2009 edition of MayWorks.
Glenn Michalchuk
President, MayWorks Festival of Labour and the Arts
