Face of new worker focus of Youngstown exhibit

YOUNGSTOWN — The image of the steelworker laboring before the blast furnace, historically regarded as the common face of the Mahoning Valley worker, is long gone.

An exhibit opening Thursday at the Youngstown Historical Center of Labor and Industry at 151 W. Wood St. attempts to put a new face on that worker.

The exhibit features the photos and words of working men and women across northeastern Ohio.

It’s sponsored by the Center for Working-Class Studies and the journalism program at Youngstown State University, with support from the Ford Foundation, the Frances Schermer Charitable Trust, the Schwebel Family Foundation and the Ohio Historical Society.

“Working Ohio/Working Youngstown” features photographs of workers from across northeastern Ohio taken by professional photographer Steve Cagan.

”Worker Portraits: Faces of Strength” features profiles of Mahoning Valley workers as written by YSU journalism students, with accompanying photos by Cagan, professional photographer Scott Stackhouse and YSU student Megan Anderson.

Admission to the exhibition is free and it opens with a reception and gallery talk at 7 p.m. Thursday.   It runs through May 4.