Works of A Man
Works of a Man is a vision into the perspective of an Appalachian State University physical plant worker, Daniel Burleson. Dan has worked at Appalachian State for twenty years. As students we typically spend four to five years at an institution. Workers are here for three to four times that. They see how this campus changes and how different administrations alter the spaces where they work. Without these workers the campus could not operate. This project aims to shed light on the work that these employees do for our university.
As students we see these workers not only on Sanford mall, but all over. We see their faces. We rarely know their names. We do not know who they truly are. Works of a Man tells the story more than just an employee. As students who encounter these people we should recognize them as humans, not just workers, remembering that a university is a collective effort and that students are the visitors.
“As I see new faces on campus they don't look at me, they look down at their feet. They won't look at me. Oddly enough as the year goes on they gradually look up and they look at me.”
