They Don’t Pay Me to Worry, Thomas Roach
Clocking in for Unpaid Labour Canada
Clocking in for Unpaid Labour Canada is an artist-led project that asks community members to ponder the work they do day-to-day without being paid.
In late 2023 artists Jennie Johnston and Shamina Senaratne hosted local workshops and put out a call to artists and community members across Canada to make artwork on time cards and engage in a conversation about unseen labour.
Timecards record the hourly work done by workers in paid institutions. In many ways they are obsolete today, but artists and community members were welcomed to ponder the work they do without pay. This included work that may be paid but was undervalued and/or underpaid.
Over the months of creation and dialogue artists from seven provinces and one territory contributed over one hundred time cards addressing diverse perspectives. Unpaid or underpaid work is universal, all humans do this work from laundry - to workplace overtime - to caring for an aging parent.
Video of the Clocking In for Unpaid Labour Canada time cards
Jennie and Shamina at a time card workshop
See The Cards in Person
The project currently has two exhibits lined up for 2025 and 2026.
Deer Lake Gallery Pop-Up Exhibit from August 22-24th 2025
6584 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby, BC V5G 3T6
Exhibit Hours:
Friday Aug 22 3-8pm, Opening Reception 6-8pm
Saturday Aug 23 12-5pm
Sunday Aug 24 12-5pm
Make a time card at a Free Public Workshop:
Saturday Aug 23 1-2:00pm & Sunday Aug 24 1-2:00pm
The Outlet Gallery from January 9 to April 9th 2026
2248-2250 McAllister Ave, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 3B2
The offering will include workshops, artist talks & panel discussions. Check back for more details in the coming months.
Timecards by Fariba Kalantari
Timecards by Maria Epp
Project Origins
This project was created by Chicago Illinois artist Elaine Luther in 2021, as she explored labour, domestic labour, and unpaid caring work. Expanding in the last three years, the project has now had multiple exhibits and many of the pieces submitted by artists across the United States will soon appear in a book.
Learn more about the project so far at elainelutherart.com and see the gallery of finished time cards here
Card Themes
With a diversity of issues raised various themes began to emerge in the topics covered. Reflecting on the hours of unpaid labour undertaken by artists, the repetitive and grueling nature of domestic chores and caring done predominately by women, and the gratitude for labour done invisibly by strangers we have never met, the time cards tell rich stories of duty, exhaustion, and challenge.
