By Linda Siegenthaler and Jim Beauchesne
Fasanella’s Lawrence is an exhibit of several of Ralph Fasanella’s famous paintings about Lawrence and the Bread and Roses Strike. The following essay is an expanded version of one that appears in the exhibit catalog. The exhibit will be at Lawrence Heritage State Park through December 16.
Growing up in Lawrence in the 1950s and 1960s, one never heard the words “Bread and Roses,” nor anything about the great Lawrence textile strike of 1912. Why? The participation of so many new immigrants, ignorant “foreigners” to many…and the leadership of the radical Industrial Workers of the World, the infamous “Wobblies”… rendered the strike nothing but lawless anarchism to the powers that be, or were, in Lawrence. They organized a giant counter-demonstration called the “God and Country” parade in the fall of 1912, to drive the IWW out of town and to force the workers to choose… follow the IWW, or keep your jobs! And so the “God and Country” version of the events of 1912 became the “official story” locally for the next six decades, even being celebrated and recreated with a massive parade in 1962.
Then a plain-spoken Italian-American from New York came to Lawrence in the 70s and turned the story upside down. Ralph Fasanella was one of several figures who helped unearth our suppressed history…journalist Paul Cowan, labor leader Moe Foner, local historians Ignatius Piscitello and Eartha Dengler, Lawrence Mayor Larry Lefebvre, among others, played important roles. But to us Ralph stands out among this group… for his salt-of-the-earth but charismatic presence, for his gut-level, fully informed commitment to working people and immigrants, and of course for the lasting, universal power of his art.
The story goes that, after his Lawrence series of paintings raised a splash, someone said to Ralph “you made Lawrence”, to which Ralph replied “no, Lawrence made me!” Well to some extent both are true, as Ralph’s works about Lawrence and the Bread and Roses strike are now known nationally and beyond, and have become iconic and inspiring images of the collective struggle that is American labor history.
Ralph Fasanella’s Lawrence paintings and his activism in Lawrence left a legacy as local residents, including many school children and new immigrants remembered him. Some friendships remained life-long. Eartha Dengler, founder of the Immigrant City Archives, shared interests in history and activism. Local artist Ed Romano, local historian Phil Laudani, and Phyllis Tyler, a longtime supporter of local history and the Lawrence Public Library, linked up with Ralph as well.
Eartha first met Ralph at the Merrimack Valley Textile Museum where she worked with Helena Wright and was able to answer numerous questions that Ralph had about textile history. She continued their friendship after she founded the Immigrant City Archives in 1978, now known as the Lawrence History Center. For many years, she was involved in co-organizing exhibits of Ralph’s work at the Lawrence Heritage State Park. Connections were established with the Addison Gallery of Art.
The Lawrence Public Library’s exhibit of Fasanella’s creative work in 1978 really introduced Lawrence at large to Ralph Fasanella. Phyllis Tyler, incidentally a major supporter and organizer of the Bread & Roses Festival, was inspired by the surge of interest that emerged to help create the library’s exhibit. She met Ralph and assisted him with research he conducted at the library. School children, including Milagro Grullon, now a community leader, remembered Ralph’s visits to the classroom. The local school system in the early 1980s was in the process of introducing more local history into the curriculum: an opportunity for Fasanella’s work to become known more broadly.
We in Lawrence are privileged to have one of those works, “Lawrence 1912: The Bread and Roses Strike”, on permanent display at Lawrence Heritage State Park. It was acquired with the support and approval of Ralph and his wife and partner Eva, as a precursor to “Public Domain”, Ron Carver’s campaign to put Ralph’s paintings, many from the Lawrence series, in public venues. “Lawrence 1912:…” serves as a constant reminder of the heroism of our immigrant ancestors, and an inspiration to those fighting today for social justice and economic fairness, for “bread and roses”, both here and abroad.
We have endeavored to honor Ralph’s legacy by organizing the annual Bread & Roses Labor Day Heritage Festival, now 29 years old. We worked with numerous local partners on a year-long commemoration of the Strike’s centennial in 2012. And now finally we honor Ralph, and give ourselves a treat, by bringing some his other Lawrence works “home” again for this exhibit, which has truly been a labor of love.
The arrival of Fasanella’s Lawrence exhibit has created a great opportunity to partner with Lawrence’s current population. We are working with the Henry K. Oliver School Partnership and teacher Mary Guerrero to bring Ralph’s work to today’s students. The Henry K. Oliver School is located just across from the historic Campagnone Common where the Bread & Roses strikers met and discussed how to win the strike. We designed our other programs in conjunction with the exhibit to also be meaningful to today’s Lawrencians and others involved in carrying on Ralph’s legacy of activism. We hope you will enjoy the show and accompanying programs, and then help us continue to spread the word about this remarkable man, and his amazing art.
Linda Siegenthaler is the Exhibit Producer, member of the Friend of Lawrence Heritage State Park. Jim Beauchesne is the Visitor Services Supervisor at Lawrence Heritage State Park.
