Exhibit portrays a variety of workers

Bus drivers, bartenders and educators are some of those featured in the show.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The image of the steel worker laboring before the blast furnace, historically regarded as the common face of the Mahoning Valley worker, is long gone.
An exhibit opening today 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 Northeast 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.
More details
Admission to the exhibition is free, and it opens with a reception and gallery talk at 7 p.m. today. It runs through May 4.
Dr. Sherry Linkon, co-director of the Center for Working-Class Studies, said the project started with YSU students in advanced journalism classes who were assigned to find and interview Mahoning Valley workers.
It grew from there to include portraits of some of those individuals at work in a variety of jobs such as bus drivers, teachers, bartenders, retail workers and more.
"We got much more than we could use," Linkon said, noting that only about a dozen people are featured in the show but 20 more are included in a show booklet that will be given away as part of the exhibition.
The project shows that work in the Mahoning Valley today is changing and is now very diversified, she said, adding that there are plans to take the exhibition on the road to malls, churches and other public venues to give it a broader exposure to the public.
gwin@vindy.com