“Visual Chronicles: Discovering the American Workforce from 1940 to 2011 at City Life Org”

Mickey Pallas, Sugar Striker, Reserve, Louisiana, 1955. International Center of Photography, Gift of Mickey Pallas, 1987 (601.1987) © Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona Foundation

The International Center of Photography | 84 Ludlow Street, New York

On Display January 23-May 5, 2025

Opening Reception January 23, 5-8PM

The International Center of Photography (ICP) is excited to present American Job: 1940-2011, curated by guest curator Makeda Best, a photography scholar and the Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Oakland Museum of California.

Featuring works from over 40 photographers in the ICP archive, along with exhibition prints from contemporary artists, American Job: 1940-2011 showcases the extent and modern significance of the collection by examining the photographic portrayal of labor movements and strike actions; racial and gender bias in employment; the influence of organized labor in politics; labor advocacy and the intersection of labor and the social transformations brought about by the economic changes of the twentieth century.

Arranged chronologically in five segments, the exhibit delves into the evolution of labor in America and the accompanying rise of activism and innovative forms of unity in the quest for fair working conditions and economic justice. It includes over 130 photographs, as well as photobooks and a diverse assortment of ephemera that emphasize both text and image-driven storytelling. American Job: 1940-2011 unveils lesser-known visuals from the ICP collection, offers fresh contexts for well-known bodies of work, showcases the impact of professional photojournalists and community-focused documentarians on the historical narrative of the twentieth century, and illustrates the expansive collecting efforts of ICP across the nation.

Makeda Best, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Oakland Museum of California remarked, “For the first time, American Job: 1940-2011 unites a notable aspect of ICP’s collecting focus, emphasizing the relationship between labor and human rights while offering a vibrant perspective on the place of labor in American documentary photography.”

Beginning with photography’s sustained engagement with trade unions and strike activities during the 1940s and 1950s, the opening segment includes visuals by notable photographers such as Arnold Eagle, Otto Hagel, W. Eugene Smith, and Todd Webb. As the U.S. economy surged in the immediate post-war era, the rapidly transforming society complicated labor’s ties to politics and media, illustrated through the lenses of Cornell Capa, Robert Frank, Danny Lyon, and Bill Wood. This section culminates in an examination of the bonds between labor and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s via photographs by Gordon Parks, Dan Weiner, Charles Moore, and others.

The next section, featuring images by Bettye Lane, Freda Leinwand, Susan Meiselas, and Sophie Rivera, focuses on the significant influx of women into the workforce during the 1970s. Motivated by the intersection of economic urgency with changing social standards and the activism that spurred those changes, the photographs underscore the prominent role that women undertook in organizing and advocating for labor equality. A particular focus on photobooks and ephemera from this period highlights photography’s contribution to conversations around and advocacy for workplace health through images and materials by Earl Dotter, Builder Levy, and Ken Light.

The exhibit then turns its attention to the broadened understanding of work throughout the nation in response to the emergence of ‘service’ labor in the 1970s and 1980s. Photographs by Per Brandin and Barabara Norfleet broadly capture this fresh sector of the workforce, showcasing individuals engaged in employment in restaurants, corporate environments, factories, and civil service, with each instance providing a new framework for future activism and organization.

As the exhibit progresses into the 1990s, photographers like Chien-Chi Chang, Joseph Rodriguez, and Dylan Vitone depict the wider social implications arising from the concentration of unemployed and underemployed individuals in specific communities. In contrast to earlier sections that centered on work as a stimulus for individual and collective action, these images document the destabilizing ramifications of job scarcity.

Presenting exhibition prints from Accra Shepp, the final section brings the exhibit into the recent past, specifically examining the long-lasting ramifications of the financial crisis of 2008. Visuals from the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement capture protests in response to the economic downturn and the ensuing unemployment faced by millions of Americans. The collective struggle depicted in these images highlights the narrative thread in American Job: 1940-2011 and serves as a poignant reminder to viewers that labor, who performs it, and under what circumstances, has always been—and will continue to be—a source of both dialogue and contention.

For further details, please visit icp.org.

About Makeda Best

Makeda Best is a distinguished curator and scholar renowned for her expertise in American photography. Among her prior exhibits are Please Stay Home: Darrel Ellis in Conversation with Leslie Hewitt and Wardell Milan and Time is Now: Photography and Social Change in James Baldwin’s America (Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University); and Devour the Land: War and American Landscape Photography Since 1970 (Harvard Art Museums). Her most recent curatorial endeavor was Framing Freedom: The Harriet Hayden Albums, displayed at the Boston Athenaeum in 2024. In collaboration with Kevin Moore, she also curated the 2022 FotoFocus Biennial exhibition On the Line: Documents of Risk and Faith. She has written for various exhibition catalogs, covering themes from vernacular soldier photography and Ben Shahn’s portrayals of small-town commercial districts to Imogen Cunningham, Bettye Saar, environmental photobooks, and the interplay between photography and the Black Arts Movement. Her scholarly contributions include Elevate the Masses: Alexander Gardner, Photography and Democracy in 19th Century America (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2020). Currently residing in the Bay Area, she supervises the curatorial, collections management, and production departments at the Oakland Museum of California as Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs while also pursuing her book projects. She possesses a PhD from Harvard University and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in Studio Photography.

Exhibition Support

The exhibition is generously funded by The Andrew and Marina Lewin Family Foundation.

Exhibitions at ICP are partially funded by Caryl Englander, Almudena Legorreta, ICP Board of Trustees, Shubert Foundation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, with

public resources from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the City Council, along with the New York State Council on the Arts, supported by the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

About The International Center of Photography

The International Center of Photography (ICP) stands as the foremost establishment in the world committed to photography and visual culture. Established by Cornell Capa in 1974, ICP was created to advocate for “concerned photography”—images that carry social and political significance which can inform and transform the globe. Through exhibitions, educational initiatives, community engagement, and public events, ICP provides a welcoming platform for discussions regarding the impact of imagery. Since it was founded, ICP has curated over 700 exhibitions, offered countless classes, and organized a diverse range of public initiatives. In January 2020, ICP inaugurated its new integrated center located at 84 Ludlow Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. ICP honors the original custodians of this land, the Lenape people, and other Indigenous societies. Explore icp.org for further details about the museum and its offerings.

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