Union

Welcome to SAG Talk – and our inaugural post.

Have you heard the one about the disappearing Norma Rae painting?

This particular rumor, making the rounds of the personal promotion and anonymous author blogs, asserts that a piece of art featuring Sally Field as “Norma Rae” was removed from the Guild.

After hearing the rumor, and being really, really skeptical that a mural measuring about 10 feet by 7 feet could have been moved without our knowing it, we went down to the 7th floor just to make sure that no one had made off with it.

As suspected, it’s safe in the same spot where it has lived for more than two years since it was relocated from the corridor on the 8th floor to protect it from wear and tear.

The actual title of the piece is "Union." It was painted in 1993 for the Guild's new headquarters by the late Croatian-born artist Arsen Roje.

“Union” is actually a tribute to the vast diversity of the Guild's feature film and television membership -- from children to seniors, performers with disabilities, white, black, Latino, Asian and Native American Indian. In all, 19 actors are depicted in the work, including a young Roddy McDowall in How Green Was My Valley, Henry Fonda in the Depression-era The Grapes of Wrath, Edward James Olmos in Zoot Suit, Marlee Matlin in Children of a Lesser God, Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy, Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker in All in the Family, Jackie Gleason in The Honeymooners and a host of other stars including Whoopi Goldberg, Burt Lancaster, Mako, Rita Moreno, Jack Nicholson, Sidney Poitier, Will Sampson, Barbara Stanwyck, Meryl Streep and Cicely Tyson.

And, as noted, the painting prominently features the actress Sally Field in her unforgettable role as the labor organizer Norma Rae Webster. It is one of the Guild’s most cherished murals and is now the first thing a visitor sees when entering the Guild’s private space from the 7th floor reception area.

We are proud of the painting and of all of the actors whose portrayals are depicted, especially that of Sally Field as Norma Rae. Our admiration extends to the film and to the legendarily feisty Crystal Lee Sutton, on whose life the film is based and whose deep commitment to social and economic justice is epitomized by Sally Field’s portrayal.

Today, Sutton lives in North Carolina and continues to support the labor movement and workers worldwide -- a commitment we applaud and appreciate.

No, we didn’t move the “Norma Rae” painting. We’re keeping it right where it is, in a place of honor where we can see it and be reminded of what it depicts.

Please e-mail us if you would like to come and see it. It’s your painting too.