Labor Exhibitions at CAC

The Contemporary Arts Center is currently showcasing a trio of exhibitions that can best be described as “hard-working.” These exhibitions takes on labor as a movement in itself, as well as the different historical and cultural forces surrounding it and the humanity of the individuals that contribute to it.

Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick: Labor Studies is a comprehensive photographic series spanning four decades of documenting the laboring communities of New Orleans and surrounding areas, from sugarcane harvesters to hospitality workers to Angola inmates. Their work is both stark and intimate, compiling a realistic picture of the Louisiana labor force many have never considered.

Zarouhie Abdalian: Production includes pieces that tackle the condition of human labor on both micro and macro levels. The artist uses a variety of media, including sound, sculpture, and film, with an emphasis on found objects, to bring the audience deep into the subject. In addition to her existing and newly commissioned works on display, a full length labor film program curated by the artist will be screened in The Helis Foundation Galleries daily.

William Monaghan: I – Object is the artist's first museum exhibition in forty years, including large scale works whose oxidation and rust marks produced by exposure and time enhance rather than detract, and more recent works whose canvases are painted with detritus scavenged from industrial scrap yards. The body of work holds a sort of mirror to a contemporary post-industrial society, from utilization to aestheticization.

All exhibitions are on display until February 10, 2019 at the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, 900 Camp St. Gallery hours and admission at cacno.org.