NEWSLETTER
‘Slate, Strikes, and Unions: Exploring the History of Labor in the Slate Industry”
Granville, NY - The Slate Valley Museum will host a free virtual program on Friday, May 26 at 6pm exploring the labor history of the slate industry. The talk is based on a new online exhibition developed for the museum by Kaidin Phelan, a recent graduate of the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies.
Since at least the 1840s, the slate industry has operated in the Slate Valley. During that time, thousands of skilled laborers have extracted slate from the Earth. The relationship between workers and quarry owners has been contentious at times, leading to strikes and demands through labor unions when tensions flared. Phelan’s exhibition explores this history through research, which included historic documents and images from the museum’s collection.
“Kaidin approached me about the possibility of interning at the museum,” explained museum director Sarah Kijowski. “He was interested in a remote project that he could work on while he completed his studies in Cooperstown. After some brief conversations, he took a real interest in the history of labor in the industry. He ran with it, and the result is a nice presentation that explores a topic that a lot of people as about when they visit the museum.”
The museum will launch the online exhibition during a special online curator’s talk on May 25, during which Phelan will share how he developed the project. He will also lead a "tour" of the virtual exhibition, which will be made public on the Slate Valley Museum website – www.SlateValleyMuseum.org – for the first time during his talk.
The program will be offered for free via Zoom. Anyone interested in attending will be able to locate a link to access the program on the museum’s calendar, also located on its website. Questions should be directed to mail@slatevalleymuseum.org. c
About the Slate Valley Museum: The Slate Valley Museum will open for the season on May 20. Hours will be Tuesday through Friday from noon until 4pm and Saturday from 10am until 4pm. Special “mask-only” hours only for visitors who will wear masks are Tuesday and Friday mornings from 10am-Noon. The museum is located at 17 Water Street in Granville, NY. More information is available on its website, www.SlateValleyMuseum.org. The museum also has pages on Facebook and Twitter - @SlateMuseum.
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Image Courtesy Slate Valley Museum
Contact:
Sarah Kijowski, Executive Director
518-642-1417