Uitnoodigingskaart voor een tentoonstelling van de My. v/d Werkenden stand afd. "Industrieschool" 1909

Curator: This is an invitation card for an exhibition of works from the "Industrieschool," part of the "My. v/d Werkenden stand," created in 1909. Editor: It's charming. There's something immediately appealing about the muted colors and the craftsman-like detailing of this poster, evoking a feeling of old-world skills. Curator: Yes, it's a lithograph, or a print, by Bernard Willem Wierink, a relatively unknown figure today, but someone clearly embedded within the turn-of-the-century Dutch art scene. Look at the typography, typical of the Art Nouveau aesthetic popular at the time, really showcasing the values of craft and labor central to that movement and to this school. Editor: And the images! Two young draftsmen are depicted intensely working, bent over what looks like a building plan. What I find particularly striking is how their work is elevated almost with this radiating light emanating from the blueprint. Curator: The radiant light does seem intended to ennoble and almost sanctify this work. What's interesting is that this piece likely had a practical purpose—to encourage attendance at an exhibition. It functioned within a network of social promotion and perhaps aimed to elevate the social standing of manual labor itself. Editor: It makes me wonder about the accessibility of these skills. Were these artisanal crafts accessible to all social classes, or did that "Industrieschool" represent more specific labor markets? What was the status of the poster's designer? I notice it lists board members alongside the Director, Wierink. Were the makers of the poster being acknowledged for their craft? Curator: That is a fascinating line of inquiry. It brings into focus questions of both class and labor. Art historians need to look closer into the historical records of such schools and institutions from that era in order to properly contextualize art such as this poster. Editor: Definitely. Thinking about this piece, it encourages me to reconsider our ideas around craftwork, production and even accessibility in that period and the present day. Curator: Precisely. It gives us a chance to understand the value society placed on particular labor systems and industries. It also presents the ever present conundrum surrounding accessibility that continues to affect industries today.