News
Christie’s Tasteless “Art Handler” Shirts Removed After Criticism
The auction house partnered with Highsnobiety to sell "Art Handler" shirts for up to $125, drawing ire from workers in the field who say they’re overworked and underpaid.
art handlers
News
UOVO Art Handlers File Labor Board Complaint Saying They Were Laid Off for Union Support
“Six of the seven permanently laid off workers played key roles in last year’s effort to win union recognition and improve working conditions,” Local 814 tells Hyperallergic.
News
Guggenheim Workers Ask Trustees for Help Amid Union Negotiations
Recently unionized workers urge the Guggenheim’s trustees to wield their influence on the museum’s “reluctant” management.
Art
Discussing the Growing Tide of Labor Organizing in the Art World
A panel at Verso Books discusses recent union efforts by art handlers at Uovo Fine Art and the ongoing struggles of arts workers to organize their workplaces and industry.
News
Art Handlers in Long Island City Lose Union Vote by a Margin of Three Votes
Employees of UOVO, a high-end art logistics company, launched a campaign to organize with Teamsters Local 814 earlier this month.
News
Art Handlers Rally in Long Island City Ahead of a Union Vote
"The tactics used against us have been brutal, nasty, coercive," said one of the workers employed by UOVO, a high-end art logistics company. "What we're asking for is just the ability to bargain as equals."
News
Art Handlers Are Unionizing at UOVO, a High-End Art Logistics Company
Workers at the white-glove art logistics company have announced their intention to form a union with Teamsters Local 814 for better healthcare and benefits.
Art
The Art Handler Who Saved the Emancipation Proclamation From Drowning in Mountain Dew
Calder Brannock was told he was just transporting an empty vitrine from the National Archives in DC north toward New York. That wasn't the full truth.
Art
The Art Handler Who Fell Down an Elevator Shaft
The first thing his gallery colleagues asked when he emerged from the elevator: Was the art okay?
Art
The Art Handler Who Built a Community of Pride Around His Work
Being an art handler means belonging to a patchwork quilt of professional networks, but translating goodwill into solidarity requires significant effort. One day, you might have to entrust a colleague with your life.
Art
The Art Handler Whose Shoulder Shattered at the Loading Dock
The art world conditions its workers to accept subpar safety standards and low salaries in the name of high culture. And because art handlers frequently hop from institution to institution for jobs, issues are typically handed off to the next wave of workers.
Art
The Museum Wall That Broke the Art Handler’s Back
Over the summer, Hyperallergic interviewed dozens of art handlers about the variable conditions of their workplaces. This week, we are bringing their stories of accident and injury into the light.