Where Did My Job Go? Sophie Bettmann-Kerson's China project 4-minutes

Sophie began carving stone when she was 16. Now 37, and one of the few women in the industry, she had been employed as a stone carver in the Barre, Vermont granite industry for the last 6 years, until the economic downturn sent her job, along with so many others, to stone carvers in China. She asks the very real question, "Where did my job go?" We propose to answer that question with this film.

We plan to film the people and stone sheds that make up Barre's granite industry--workers, carvers, shed owners, and the quarries and land itself. Then we propose to go to China to track exactly where these industry jobs have gone, and who is doing them.

For more than a century Barre has been the center of the granite industry in America. Stone quarried from Barre has been used to build many of the nation's Federal buildings in Washington, D.C., and in other major cities. Barre is famous for the stone monuments and memorials carved here. It is also famous for its labor movement. This is an aspect of its history which could well come into play in the film.

Generations ago the industry began to hire master sculptors from Carrara and Pietra Santa, Italy. These sculptors taught the classical art of stone carving to their sons, their apprentices, and also, luckily, to my daughter. Now this art is dying. It seems Chinese carvers will work cheaply and quickly for American manufacturers. The local industry cannot compete.

As home to numerous artists and artisans of all stripes, Vermont is in a strong position to nurture the arts. We hope to spotlight what is happening to the jobs of skilled artists on an international scale. Ultimately the goal of the film is to bring attention to what is happening and to help return some of these vital arts jobs back to the local industry.

We would very much appreciate your support of this film.