2025 Winners Have Been Announced! | See the Honorees
Winner Story
Worker Power is a Beautiful Thing by Big Bowl of Ideas
When the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents nearly 2 million workers, gathered in Philadelphia for their 2024 convention, the team at Big Bowl of Ideas helped set the stage. Ahead of a member-led rally for economic justice, they transformed Independence Park with Worker Power Wonderland, a series of bold installations that celebrated solidarity, strength and collective action. Created with seven artists and featuring union values in 13 languages, the pieces included the Arco de Resistencia, Megaphone Locs Wedge and Soap Box Videoscape. Read the full story to see how their team helped elevate the moment and earned a 2024 Gold Davey Award for Design & Print – Outdoor/Environmental: Signage & Environmental Graphics.
What inspired the initial creative direction for the project?
The Service Employees International Union, a labor union representing nearly 2 million workers in the service economy, convened in Philadelphia for their 2024 SEIU International Convention. This historic gathering of the service workforce who met to debate and vote on the plan that will guide their Union’s work over the next 4 years. Just before the start of the convention, the members organized and participated in a march and rally to call for economic justice and unions for all.
Big Bowl of Ideas was proud to create the large-scale public art installations that framed the space where the rally was held – Independence Park, a most American lawn near the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
We did extensive research into public spectacles around the world and led a series of ideation sessions which resulted in several distinct concepts. Ultimately, SEIU chose to pursue a concept we called “Worker Power Wonderland” which included the Arco de Resistencia, Megaphone Locs Wedge, and Soap Box Videoscape. All to convey the color, joy, and dynamism of a modern workers movement driven to create a world where everyone can join a union. We collaborated with seven artists and designers to create and produce these works.
Were there any challenges crafting the installations?
When we learned that there were height restrictions imposed by the National Park Service for any art installations placed on the lawn, we needed to get creative to design an installation that would not be too tall but still pack a visual punch. We created a 10 x 20 foot installation designed to amplify the message of “Unions for All” and the core values of the union spelled out in 13 languages. On the front we furthered the message by filling the letters with a powerful image of an organizer calling out the vision where every worker can join a union.
What conversations or reactions did this project spark?
Members were drawn to the vibrant image on the front and resonated with the image of the sun made up of union values in multiple languages. Members felt seen and included in the diversity that was embraced and centered by this installation.
Union members were instinctively drawn to the art and messages we helped promote. As one member who posed by the Megaphone Locs Wedge said it best, “Art helps us talk about serious things.” We were proud to get the conversations going and loved seeing how our art and design supported and amplified the voices of workers – especially in new areas of organizing like Fast Food workers, Starbucks workers, and those uniting voices in the South.
