Bonnie de Arteaga
I was delighted to be invited to illustrate Cold Millions because, as a printmaker, I felt my medium was right for the task. The labor activism at the time of the story would have been impossible without newspapers and printed posters and flyers. These were most often set with wooden type and illustrated with wood engravings. My woodcut print is intended to portray, in the news style of the day, a few of the main characters and their actions in the drama of the 1909 Spokane labor uprising. Although no longer as powerful as it once was, the International Workers of the World is still a functioning union with members around the globe. The unnamed “cold millions” are the faceless ones behind bars whose sacrifices brought down the tyrannical labor barons.
This artwork was created for Waukesha Reads 2023. It is located on the west pillar near the Large Print collection.