The beauty of manual tools and the unique nature of handmade items are highlighted as well. Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, Shana Wittenwyler's work in the exhibition, "Summer Straw," evokes experiences in her hometown of Monticello, Wisconsin. Due to vast economic need, younger generations are moving from her farming town to pursue professions outside of the labor-intensive agricultural field. Feeling a deep connection to the farming profession and the daily experiences of her father, Wittenwyler embarked on a project to document the rural way of life in her native community.

The picture shows Shana Wittenwyler, Summer Straw, Digital Chromogenic Print.

Wittenwyler explains, "After three generations, my father's way of life and value system, typically idealized as American, is dying. His sense of loss manifests itself in disgust and depression. Through my father's eyes, I have tried to record the people he knows before they become a lost generation. My father serves as guide, translator and narrator for my interviews and documentary photography. While collaborating on this project, my father's energy and commentary is inexhaustible. Rejuvenated by documenting a way of life he values, the work alleviates some of his disillusionment, providing him with purpose and hope."

Other artists in the show include Chicago resident Jenny Arbaugh, a recent School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduate, who creates photographs of herself as documentation of her employee discrimination suit that was tried before the U.S. Supreme Court. In an evocative series of work, Arbaugh manipulates the appearance of her own body to represent the exploitation she experienced after her grievances were put on stage by the U.S. court system. Arbaugh's politically charged works remind viewers of the trepidations and potential violence of the workplace.

Juror Ursula Kammer-Fox is a German-born artist based in California. Kammer-Fox's solo exhibition, "Ode to Tools," will run concurrently with "In Praise of Physical Labor." This group exhibition is one of three shows a year held at Woman Made Gallery that features the work of both women and men. Physical labor occurs in myriad forms.

The exhibition will be on view from October 12 to November 8, 2007. -- www.womanmade.org