Josh Gosfield, an Illustrator for “Solidarity Forever: Amazon Worker Jigsaw Puzzle,” joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed what inspired him to draw the artwork for the pro-worker puzzle commissioned by Nation Magazine.
Gosfield has also done artwork for the New Yorker, the New York Times and Time Magazine.
The artwork was inspired by the union victory at the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, organized by the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), and by other recent union wins across the country. He explained that 10 percent of the puzzle sale proceeds will benefit the ALU.
Gosfield said he was inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphics and chose to depict Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos as a deposed Egyptian Pharoah. He felt it was important to show the workers as individuals with unique styles of dress and hairstyles. Too often, Amazon workers are taken for granted and need to be recognized as the unique individuals they are, he said.
Gosfield explained how doing the artwork was a way to honor his working-class roots and empower unions through his creativity.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about the project: