In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the union, the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill is excited to present a glimpse of our history in the public exhibition “From the AGSEM Archives: 30 Years of Graduate Student Labour Organizing at McGill.“
Building upon graduate student workers' organizing efforts since the 1970s, AGSEM led a successful card-signing campaign to become certified with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) in 1992, and began collective bargaining as a certified union in 1993.
Consisting of four installations in various locations on McGill's downtown campus, the exhibition highlights initiatives of graduate student labour organizing at McGill, situating the union within broader networks of solidarity in Quebec.
On October 25th, join us for a unique one-time guided exhibition tour and a celebratory march! We’ll learn from our past while showing McGill and ourselves all the ways we will rise in solidarity into the future. Our power has built over the years, through our struggles. Our future is built on our past. Don't forget to save your spot!
AGSEM would like to warmly thank archivists Erika Kindsfather and Miranda Monosky, who worked on union archive organization and selection of exhibition materials throughout the summer. Without them, this project would not have been possible!
Erika Kindsfather is a PhD student in Art History with a concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies at McGill University. Specializing in textiles, dress and contemporary material culture, her research investigates the intersections of fiber-based creative practices and activism in North America. Her dissertation project focuses on labor organizing and the textile industry in Canada since 1930. She is interested in social justice-oriented approaches to archival research.
Miranda is a geographer and archivist from Chilliwack, British Columbia. She is a recent Master of Information Studies graduate from McGill, and has a Master of Arts in Geography from Memorial University where she completed research on Arctic mine reclamation and community consultation. Now, as an information professional, she is passionate about developing and contributing to the capacities of small community archives. Outside of work, she spends much of her time creating digital and fibre art.
We also thank Marta Beszterda, Kiersten van Vliet, Jean-Philip Mathieu, and Kim Gruver for their research and organizational assistance. See you on October 25th at 4pm at the Y intersection in front of Arts Building!