The 34th Annual Great Labor Arts Exchange and Conference on Creative Organizing kicks off today and runs through Monday at the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights, Md. Sponsored by the Labor Heritage Foundation, the Great Labor Arts Exchange celebrates the rich cultural heritage of working people and brings together talented labor artists, activists, cultural workers, educators and students.

The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild (WBNG) Local 32035 and the Labor Heritage Foundation are sponsoring the “Occupy Now!” photo contest. The winner will be announced at the Great Labor Arts Exchange festival, June 22-25. The contest—with almost $1,000 in prize money—is looking for the great photos of the Occupy movement.

Tributes continue to come in for Mark Ayers, president of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), who died unexpectedly April 8 at age 63. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka calls Ayers an “extraordinary leader and friend.”

Mark your calendars for the 34th Annual Great Labor Arts Exchange and Conference on Creative Organizing. This year’s event—June 22-25—is happening at the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights, Md.

From Union Communications Services:

Joe Glazer, known by many as labor’s troubadour, had for more than 50 years used his voice and guitar to rally supporters to the union cause, including for this timely tune, “Downsized.”

The Theater of the First Amendment will present the world premiere of “Can’t Scare Me: The Story of Mother Jones at Washington, D.C.’s Atlas Performing Arts Center beginning with preview performances Oct. 12 and 13 and running through Oct. 30.

Join the Labor Heritage Foundation and music lovers throughout the Washington, D.C., area for a Labor Day tribute concert for legendary labor singer, song writer and activist Anne Feeney.  The concert begins at 6 p.m. on Labor Day, Sept. 5, at Bus Boys & Poets at 5th and K Streets N.W., in Washington.

Don’t miss the explosion of arts and activism at the 2011 Great Labor Arts Exchange June 17-19 at the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Md. The three-day festival brings together union and social justice activists who combine union mobilization and outreach with songs, skits, art, poetry, theater, posters, cartoons and film. 

Scholarships are available for anyone who wants to participate in the Conference on Creative Organizing, June 17–19 at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md., and doesn’t have money for the registration fee. To find out more about the scholarship, call 202-639-6204. The information is not available online.

There is still time to register for the Great Labor Arts Exchange and Conference on Creative Organizing, June 17–19 at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md.