The title of this contest—“Making Work Visible”—captures the essence of the work done by the young authors and artists who won prizes in the seventh year of this CUNY/LaborArts contest. The poems, fiction, non-fiction and visual art display imagination, thoughtfulness, and an ability to make links between individual lived experience and larger social issues.

Open to all CUNY undergraduates, contest entries are judged according to originality, content and style. Student writers and artists both draw upon history, upon close observation of the world around them, and upon a wealth of first hand experiences to link their work to the spirit of labor arts. Every year professors judging the contest reflect on the value of providing opportunities for the students to seriously interrogate their own life experiences and that of those around them.

From Jenny Lai’s poem “Nail Salon”:

She nods when you talk to her about your day
even though she doesn’t understand your language
because your money is more important than her voice.

“My father’s hands are wrought iron.” The first sentence of Renée Jarvis’ very personal story “Hands and Feat” gives us a visual image drawing us directly into her tale.

Each work will affect you in some way—you’ll learn something, be inspired, be surprised.

We sincerely hope that these young authors and artists continue on with their work—their voices demand to be heard.

Photographs of students and from awards ceremony ©Brooklyn College, David Rozenblyum

Background & Credits

The CUNY/Labor Arts contest aims to expand student’s thinking about labor history, broadly defined, and is open to any undergraduate attending a CUNY college. Begun in 2010, it encourages students to write creatively and analytically about work and workers, to make art about work and workers, and to link their efforts to the spirit of LaborArts.

We would like to thank all of the students who submitted work for the 2016–17 contest, and to congratulate the authors of the prize-winning essays and poems and the creators of the visual art featured in this exhibit. All CUNY students are encouraged to begin considering possible themes for entries in next year’s contest. Guidelines for the 2017–18 contest will be available in fall 2017; the guidelines used for this contest are here.

The contest is funded by The Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation, and was made possible this year through the efforts of Professor Joseph Entin, Director of Graduate Studies Patrick Kavanagh and Associate Provost Stuart MacLelland from Brooklyn College/CUNY; and Rachel Bernstein and Evelyn Jones Rich from LaborArts.

Special thanks to the judges: Professor Joseph Entin (Fiction), Director of Graduate Studies Patrick Kavanagh (Non-Fiction), Professor Joseph Moore (Visual Art), and Adjunct Professor Rafi Kiureghian (Poetry). Many thanks to the Graduate Center for Worker Education’s director Lucas Rubin and his extraordinary staff, including Mohammed Sujon, Beatrice Tony-Jean, and Anselma Rodriguez, and to LaborArts intern Daria Mrozik.

The photographs of students and event speakers were taken by photographer at the Awards Ceremony, held at the Brooklyn College Graduate Center for Worker Education in Lower Manhattan on April 19, 2017.