Work. It’s the thing that builds cities, enacts change, and improves the world. It’s rarely easy or glamorous. But behind all that striving and effort, there’s a person and story worth treasuring.
This past year, as the pandemic has waned and reemerged, one thing has remained constant: the Baltimore Museum of Industry’s dedication to telling stories of work and celebrating the workers who continue to energize Baltimore even during challenging times. Work makes us proud, and it inspires hope in our future.
You hear pride in a day’s work well done when retired steelworker Jeff Mikula describes his labors at Bethlehem Steel’s Sparrows Point mill as so all-encompassing they got “in your blood” and “in your pores.”
Pride is there when Baltimore City Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services employee Samone Flowers reflects on how she and her colleagues continued to provide food for Baltimore families during the pandemic: “You never know who has food and who does not have food. So for me, it was like one of the greatest things I ever did in my life.”
And when students like Michael G. talk about their future career plans, you see how the BMI’s programs build dreams to grow on. Michael designed and built a model ship that successfully competed in the museum’s Maryland Engineering Cargo Ship Challenge. “It was a good learning experience, especially if you want to have a career in naval architecture or study it in college,” he noted.
Though 2021 has thrown us all some curveballs, the museum has never stopped working. In fact, your ongoing support helped make 2021 one of the BMI’s most productive years ever.
