MUSEUM OF THE LIVING WORKER

Modern Art values the creative practice and sees it as an essential part of a vibrant and living city. To this end, we have created a very special project called THE MUSEUM OF THE LIVING WORKER, collaborative 1-2 week residencies in our studio’s fishbowl. Read on, below:

The Museum of the Living Worker is a unique mini-residency program for workers who are seeking some much deserved time and space away from their daily habits to pursue a creative project, and to be part of an innovative effort to highlight the power of artistic work in Lancaster. Workers in Residence will have the opportunity to use Modern Art's fishbowl room, "the Modern Experiment," as their studio. To date, Modern Art has welcomed eight diverse projects, with three more to be completed by the end of 2020.

Projects can, and have been, almost anything: a piece of writing, painting, sewing, musical composition, dancing, hula hooping, but they must have an element of engaging the world around them. In keeping with our mission of encouraging the curious and engaging our community, a key component of the residency is to allow visitors and passers by a window into the creative process. Living Workers in Residence are encouraged to do their work in public view, and to have open studio hours throughout during which the visitors can walk in and observe. Each project will possess an element of creative public interaction— inviting folks in to the space to chat, to gather information, and to contribute to the worker’s project. Modern Art works with Living Worker residents in order to design the space to work with their specific project, and collaborates with the worker throughout the residency. We provide various forms of interesting creative encouragement to support the resident worker—daily treats, prompts, challenges, an inspiration cubby with personalized surprises.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Modern Art will be hosting four Living Workers in 2020: Kearasten Jordan (January), Anita Pilkerton Plumb (July), Michelle Johnsen (August), and Libby Modern (December.)

Check out some of our past Living Workers: