Shafter Cafeteria 

Edward Sallenbach made this drawing, "Shafter Cafeteria," using graphite on paper. The artist meticulously rendered a scene of workers on their lunch break. You can see the marks of the pencil itself, a clear record of the hand that guided it across the page. Sallenbach’s careful use of the graphite imbues the scene with a kind of gritty realism. The texture of the paper becomes part of the image, giving it a tactile quality. The weight of the workers' postures and their weary expressions are palpable. Sallenbach's choice of graphite, a humble material, is significant. It speaks to the everyday lives of these workers, their labor, and their unglamorous reality. The artist’s technique and the visible labor involved mirrors the work of his subjects. This artwork challenges the traditional hierarchy between fine art and craft, elevating the ordinary and underscoring the dignity of labor. It reminds us that art is not just about the subject matter but the way it is made and how these processes speak to wider social issues.