"Clampdown: Labor, Management, and the Recession", a group exhibition at Zaller Gallery through May 21

The presenters assembled this show because: “Since the Recession began in December 2007, the American economy has lost nearly 8 million jobs. The unemployment rate, which stood at 5% at the end of 2007, is now close to double-digits, and many of the unemployed have been without a job for at least six months.

“For those workers who kept their jobs, the picture is also bleak: many have had to accept wage freezes and furloughs -- and yet are being commmanded to increase productivity, even as their co-workers are laid off and departments and resources shrink. Many rank-and-file endure all of this out of fear of losing their own jobs, and express gratitude to even be employed at all. How does this affect the way in which we assess the value of our work?

“And as rank-and-file wages have stagnated, executive pay has more than doubled -- perpetuating a steep trajectory of salary inequalities that began 30 years ago.

“Twenty regional artists were invited to address these issues. It is our hope that through art we can contribute to the larger dialogue about where we are now as a society in terms of labor-management dynamics, how we got here, what transformations have taken place in the context of the recession, and perhaps most importantly, where might we possibly be heading from here forward.”

Clampdown features the works of Kristen Baumlier, Joseph Carl Close, Andy Curlowe, John G, Scott Goss, Jacob Wesley Lang, Robin Latkovich, Ross Mantle, Liz Maugans, Amber McElrath, Alex Meranto, Kevin Miyazaki, Michelle Marie Murphy, Claudio Orso, Joshua Rex, Dante Rodriguez, Ben Siegel, Randall Tiedman and Elizabeth Ross Yurich.

Zaller Gallery, 16006 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44110. For information: Greg Ruffing, Curator: greg@gregruffing.com or 216.390.6329. Dave Desimone, lowlifecleveland@yahoo.com, 330-671-6123.