The Fourth Annual Conference of the California Labor Lab explores the evolving nature of artistic labor in an era of economic instability and shifting employment structures. As entertainment and media workers continue to organize for fair wages and protections, and as new technologies reshape creative work, the arts serve both as a case study in contemporary labor struggles and a lens through which to examine the future of work itself.

This two-day virtual conference will explore the relationship between art and labor. Day One will open with an overview of the arts’ role in California’s economy, featuring presentations from the Commission on the Creative Economy and findings from the California Labor Laboratory’s Work and Health Survey on the scope of arts-related employment in the state. The conversation will then delve into key aspects of artistic work, including the growing influence of media conglomerates in film production, the realities of life for actors outside of stardom, and the lived experience of those working in the arts. Day Two will shift focus to how the arts critique and illuminate the changing world of work through discussions interwoven with clips and readings. From literature and film to performance and music, creative expression has long served as both a mirror and a battleground for labor struggles.

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Speakers include: 

  • Jillian Arnold MFA, Recording and Workflow Engineer / President of Local 695 / IATSE AI Subcommittee Chair
  • Stefan Aronsen MFA, Co-Founder, Balanced Breakfast
  • Cristina Banks PhD, Associate Director, California Labor Lab, University of California, Berkeley
  • Loryn Barbeau MM, Holistic Vocal and Performance Coach
  • Michelle Beltran, Director, Continuing Education Program, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
  • Joel Burges PhD, Associate Professor of English and Visual & Cultural Studies, Director of Film & Media Studies, University of Rochester
  • John Thornton Caldwell MFA, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor,
    University of California, Los Angeles
  • Deborah Cullinan, Vice President for the Arts, Stanford University
  • Joely Fisher, Secretary-Treasurer and Co-Chair, National Government Affairs and Public Policy Committee, SAG-AFTRA
  • Kate Fortmueller PhD, Associate Professor, Georgia State University
  • Willy Friedman, TV Producer
  • Lily Janiak MA, Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle
  • Erica Knox, Research & Public Policy Director, Writers Guild of America West
  • Madeline Lane-McKinley PhD, Adjunct Professor, University of California, Santa Cruz and Pacific Northwest College of Art
  • John Macintosh PhD, Lecturer, University of Maryland, College Park
  • Annie McClanahan PhD, Associate Professor, University of California, Irvine
  • Jack Plotnick, Actor/Director/Writer/Teacher
  • Victor Rubin MCP, PhD, Policy Researcher and Consultant
  • Maureen Russell MA, MLIS, CPhil, Archivist, University of California, Los Angeles. Dept. of Ethnomusicology
  • Laura Stock MPH, Director Emeritus, Labor Occupational Health Program
  • Edward Yelin PhD, Edward A Dickson Emeritus Professor; Director, California Labor Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco

To learn more about the speakers, agenda, learning objectives, and accreditation, click here.