Artist William Clift

Artist’s Statement

Perhaps the most chilling part of the pandemic that has seemingly swallowed the world overnight is that, for a large portion of our society, these conditions merely exacerbate what they have suffered through for decades. Those who we listen to the least but depend upon the most — poultry workers, garbage collectors, grocery stockers, nurses, public school teachers — bear the weight of the world on their shoulders right now, but they did before, too. Long before Coronavirus arrived, working people took on multiple jobs to keep their families fed, and risked losing it all if they took too many sick days.

I hope this crisis awakens the humanity within all those who take working people for granted — myself included. They are long overdue for the dignities the rest of us enjoy: living wages, humane working and living conditions, leisure time. We cannot afford to let pass the lessons of this moment.