This discussion will be conducted on Zoom. Click here to register.
In conjunction with Printed Matter’s Virtual Art Book Fair, LaToya Ruby Frazier joins curators Karsten Lund and Solveig Øvstebø for an in-depth discussion of The Last Cruze, a substantial new book that expands upon her 2019 solo exhibition at the Renaissance Society.
Featuring the artist’s extensive body of work that centers on the workers at the General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio, The Last Cruze records the devastating effects on the workers’ families and their community after GM “unallocated” the plant, which soon led to its closure. For Frazier, this publication is a vital part of The Last Cruze, extending the dialogue around the work, offering another platform for the workers’ voices, and inviting new reflections by a number of leading scholars and thinkers.
While the GM plant in Lordstown has officially closed and its workers and their families have largely had to relocate, it’s clear this story is hardly over. The ripple effects of the closure are only starting to be seen. And in the time since The Last Cruze was first exhibited in Chicago, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the economy and underlined just how precarious things are, and continue to be, for so many people. The importance of advocating for workers, the need for good healthcare, the blessings of community, and the power of collective action are now more palpable than ever. Building on the original exhibition and gathering LaToya Ruby Frazier’s ongoing dialogues around these topics, this book presents The Last Cruze in an expanded form, filled with voices from Lordstown and beyond.
Live captioning will be available for this event.
