Shannon Eis, UAW Local 12 member at Toledo (Ohio) Assembly Plant, likes anything with Rosie the Riveter, and that is exactly the inspiration that won her mixed media piece, “Backbone of America”, Best of Show in the UAWChrysler NTC 10th Employee Art Exhibition which opened May 19.

Eis, a production operator on the Wrangler trim line, took the honors with artwork consisting of an ink drawing and photographs that is a tribute to the contributions of working women in the armaments industry during World War II.

The jointly sponsored 2016-2017 Artists at Work Exhibition features 92 pieces of art by 37 UAW members from 13 locals, and 15 nonrepresented employees from 17 FCA US locations.

A three-member panel of art professionals judged about 650 entries in three categories: Painting and Drawing, Mixed Media and Photography. They awarded first, second and third place in each category, then chose an overall winner as Best of Show.

“It is very inspiring to see such an array of incredible artwork that is being crafted by UAW members who not only work hard on their jobs, but also create beautiful works of art,” said UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell, who directs the union’s Chrysler Department.

The Artists at Work program has displayed more than 1,200 pieces of art by nearly 600 employees since its inception in 1999.

This year’s opening program included Detroit artist Tyree Guyton, a former UAW member at Chrysler Corp., who described how he realized his dream of becoming a nationally acclaimed painter and sculptor.

Eis also took First Place in the Mixed Media category to qualify for Best of Show consideration by the judges.

The other Mixed Media winners were: Second Place, Rob Lefief, Jefferson North Assembly in Detroit, for “Ecdysis,” a 1,500-pound recycled metal sculpture; Third Place, April Shipp, a UAW Local 412 member at the Auburn Hills (Michigan) Complex, for “Lupita Nyong’o,” a textile.

In Painting and Drawing, the winners were: First Place, Bohdan Cap, a UAW Local 212 member at FCA Transport, for “Green Bottle,” a watercolor painting; Second Place, Vincent Fontana, a UAW Local 723 member at Dundee (Michigan) Engine, for “Calumet, Michigan, 1907,” a pen and carbon mix drawing; Third Place, Joseph Johnson, a UAW Local 7 member at Jefferson North Assembly, for “Earth 2,” an acrylic on canvas painting.

In Photography, the winners were: First Place, Sherry Richards, a UAW Local 412 member at the Auburn Hills Complex, for “Hil with Chicken;” Second Place, Sabrina Dao, Auburn Hills Complex, for “Passage to the Temple, Burma;” Third Place, Gregory Bridges, a UAW Local 1268 member at Belvidere (Illinois) Assembly, for “Sunday Ice Cream.” The judges also awarded recognized Honorable Mention ribbons to 13 employees.

The exhibition may be viewed online at www.uaw-chrysler.com. It is not open to the public.