Speed-up
One Book One Northwestern, 2024–25
This artwork was selected in response to themes in Northwestern’s community-wide reading of The Night Watchman (2020) by Louise Erdrich.
In Speed Up Claire Mahl Moore shows the oppressive environment of a factory. Created in a print shop of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s, the print focuses on women laborers. A male boss, shown at a slightly larger scale in the center of the print, lords over the workers. Moore conveys the repetitive nature of the work, rendering the factory environment within a seemingly inescapable circle. Titled The Treadmill when the artwork was reproduced in the leftist magazine New Masses in 1937, the print highlights the exploitative nature of labor under capitalism, a common subject for Moore and other WPA artists.
In The Night Watchman Louise Erdrich prominently features women employed at a jewel bearing plant on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. While some residents are grateful for the economic opportunities that the plant provides, they are also oppressed by the repetitive nature of their work:
By the middle of the afternoon, her shoulders began to blaze. Her fingers cramped and her flat ass was numb. The line leaders reminded the women to stand, stretch, and focus their eyes on the distant wall. Then roll their eyes. Focus again on the wall. Once their eyes were refreshed, they worked their hands, flexing their fingers, kneading their swollen knuckles. Then back to the slow, calm, mesmeric toil.
We are happy to provide a shareable pdf booklet and downloadable images for teaching and engagement. You can schedule a class visit to discuss these works in person in our study center by contacting Essi Rönkkö at essi.ronkko@northwestern.edu.
