The Labor Education Program has faculty members that participate in a variety of outreach and extension that goes beyond educating the workers in Illinois.
Professor Dan Gilbert is a labor historian who recently collaborated on an exhibit that showcased the history of the Farm Aid concert at The Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
“Ever since moving to Champaign-Urbana 14 years ago, I have been fascinated by our community’s role in hosting the inaugural Farm Aid concert in 1985. That first concert, and the subsequent 40-year history of the Farm Aid organization, represents an important model of collaboration between performing artists and grassroots organizations supporting the interests of hardworking people across rural America. As a labor historian, I have been especially interested in the concert’s work to shine a national spotlight on the family farm as a central workplace in some of the most consequential changes in recent U.S. history. It has been a thrill to work with students, community members, and museum professionals in exploring and telling the story of Farm Aid on its 40th anniversary.”
Read more about The Spurlock Museum’s exhibit on Smile Politely and Illinois Public Media.