THE WAY WE WORKED Traveling Smithsonian Exhibit Comes to The Warner Theatre, 1/25-3/9

The Warner Theatre will be host to The Way We Worked, an exhibition created by the Smithsonian Institution from January 25, 2014 - March 9, 2014.

The Way We Worked draws on the National Archives' rich photographic collections to document 130 years of changing work life in America. Using images, video, audio and interactive components, the exhibition reveals the effects of industrialization, urbanization, immigration, labor unrest, wars and economic depression on ordinary working Americans, whether they toiled in a coal mine, on a tractor, at a typewriter or on an assembly line.

Spanning the years 1857-1987, the exhibition's 86 black-and-white and color photographs document, in rich visual detail, American workplaces, work clothing, working conditions and workplace conflicts. They also reflect a workforce shaped by immigration and ethnicity, slavery and racial segregation, wage labor and technology, gender roles and class, as well as by the American ideals of freedom and equality.

The exhibit will be located in the Warner's Nancy Marine Studio Theatre lobby and will be opened Thursdays & Fridays from 1-7pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 1-5pm. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Way We Worked, an exhibition created by the National Archives, is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and CT Humanities.

Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as "Connecticut's Most Beautiful Theatre." Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat studio theatre, 200 seat restaurant and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, the Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, the Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA's mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as an historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region. To learn more about the Warner Theatre, visit our website: www.warnertheatre.org.