Share West Virginia Worklife

The West Virginia Humanities Council is sponsoring a statewide tour of a Smithsonian Institution exhibit called The Way We Worked. Adapted from an exhibition developed by the National Archives, it explores why we work, the needs our jobs fulfill, and how we identify with work as individuals and communities. With support from the Humanities Council each of the exhibit sites will develop companion displays and supplemental programs that focus on the work history of their community.

This online exhibit of photos of West Virginians at work reveals the many changes that have affected the workforce and work environments over the past 150 years. Our work culture includes traditional industries that have evolved over the years such as mining, logging, railroading, farming, and manufacturing, as well as emerging fields like tourism, technology, and research. In our work, we continue to strive for professional satisfaction, personal growth, creative expression, and the well-being of our families.

Enjoy this e-WV exhibit, and take the opportunity to see The Way We Worked while it travels West Virginia. You can hear workers tell their stories and share your own.

The schedule for The Way We Worked is: September 10–October 22, Municipal Building, Marlinton; October 29–December 10, Mary H. Weir Public Library, Weirton; December 17–January, 12, 2012, Morgantown History Museum; February 4–March 17, Carnegie Hall, Lewisburg; March 24–May 5, Point Pleasant River Museum; and May 12–July 7, Randolph County Community Arts Center, Elkins.

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