Championing Workers and Culture, Too
by Steven Greenhouse
These days, when much of the news from the art world is of multimillion dollar sales and
museum admission fees can be $10, Mr. [Moe] Foner, as head of 1199's Bread and Roses cultural
program, continues to plunge ahead with its decades-old project of bringing art to the masses.
While some union leaders have a vision limited to whether they can get a 3 percent or a 3.5 percent
wage increase, Mr. Foner insisted on having an art gallery built at 1199's headquarters at 310 West
43rd Street in Clinton.
"The purpose is to bring the arts... to working people, to bring a culture
that reflects their lives and that will help bring their lives to a higher level," said Moe Foner,
who has been called the Sol Hurok of the labor movement. "It helps create a sense of pride.'"
"'We believe that it's important that the public understand the dignity of work..." he said."
In running Bread and Roses, Moe Foner has also tried to improve the image of labor unions and
help members identify more closely with them and feel prouder of their work lives.
"Moe Foner brings a vision and a vitality that you don't see much anymore," said Maxine Green,
philosopher in residence at the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts and Education.
