“Tool City Voices,” a Community Storytelling Project, To Debut at Market House

The community is invited to an opening reception for “Tool City Voices,” a collaborative community storytelling project, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24 at the Meadville Market House. The multimedia installation is a collaboration among Crawford County tool and die shops, Crawford County Career and Technical School, Allegheny College students and a number of other community partners.

Participants will be able to watch multiple short documentaries featuring community members, contribute their own stories to the project and interact with community-produced stories. Families are invited, and activities will be available for children. Hors d’oeuvres will be provided.

The project tells the stories of work and life in Crawford County, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the work that has sustained the Tool City and showcasing the global reach and impact of the labor performed in Meadville.

Partnering with other members of the community on the project were students in a communication arts class, “Narrating Tool City: Community Storytelling,” taught by Allegheny faculty members Emily Yochim and River Branch. The community-produced installation will travel to local high schools and other venues after its debut at the Meadville Market House.

“We’ve been absolutely wowed by our interactions with the tool and die folks and other community partners,” said Emily Yochim.

River Branch added, “Their investment in and contributions to this project have deeply impacted its design and scope. We hope this installation becomes a living document of our region’s powerful history and global reach. From creating the zipper to creating components for space exploration, the automotive industry and virtually everything we touch, our tool shops are shaping the world.”