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Watch a video on the exhibition here.
Watch the exhibition’s introductory video here.

Created by the Smithsonian Institution and drawing from the National Archives’ rich collections, The Way We Worked explores how work became such a central element in American culture by tracing the many changes that affected the workforce and work environments over the past 130 years.

The diversity of the American workforce is one of its strengths. This exhibition is an opportunity to explore how people of all races and ethnicities identified commonalities and worked to knock down barriers in the professional world, demonstrating how we identify with work—as individuals and as communities. It invites visitors to hear workers tell their own stories and to view films about various industries. Interactive components convey the experiences of multiple generations of families involved in the same field.

Connecticut Humanities is pleased to bring The Way We Worked to seven venues in Connecticut, starting on December 7, 2013. Check these tour dates to find out when it will come to a town near you:

New Haven: New Haven Free Public Library, December 7, 2013 – January 19, 2014
Torrington: Warner Theater, January 25, 2014 – March 9, 2014
Hartford: Hartford Public Library, March 15, 2014 – April 27, 2014
Waterbury: Mattatuck Museum, June 21, 2014 – August 3, 2014
Coventry: Nathan Hale Homestead, August 9, 2014 – September 14, 2014
Stamford: Stamford Museum and Nature Center, September 20, 2014 – November 2, 2014
Groton: Groton Public Library, November 8, 2014 – December 21, 2014

The Way We Worked has been made possible in Connecticut by Connecticut Humanities in partnership with Historic New England and is part of Connecticut at Work, an initiative of Connecticut Humanities.

The Way We Worked, an exhibition created by the National Archives, is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and State Humanities Councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.