Filmmaker Kenneth Proudfoot to Present Documentary on Rhode Island Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Austin T. Levy
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Austin T. Levy
(WOONSOCKET, R.I.) ??? The Museum of Work & Culture will offer the third installment of its free Valley Talks series on Sunday, February 12, at 1:30pm.
Documentary filmmaker Kenneth Proudfoot will screen The Amazing Life & Times of Austin T. Levy, a chronicle of the life of one of Rhode Island???s leading entrepreneurs and philanthropists.????
In 1909, Levy, a 29-year-old woolen commission agent from New York City, leased a small textile mill in Greenville, Rhode Island. Over the next three decades, he would buy, build, and operate a total of 11 mills in three states, employing more than 2,000 people. His prolific business interests were matched by his dedication to his employees and community, pioneering paid two-week vacations and profit-sharing plans.
Following the screening, Proudfoot will hold a Q&A discussing the production of the film and sharing details that did not make it to the screen.
Proudfoot is an entrepreneur, author, teacher, songwriter, filmmaker, and gyotaku Japanese fish print artist. He serves businesses as a strategic marketing consultant and raises money as a grant writer for nonprofit organizations.
Seating is limited to 75 and is first-come, first-served.
Other Valley Talks will include:??
February 26: Ellen (Wright) Puccetti & Claire (Bissonnette) Wright Boudreault present the history of Wright???s Dairy Farm & Bakery, chronicling the growth of the family business, the experience growing up on the farm, and what goes into raising cows and making the bakery???s famous pastry.
March 12: Writer and historical reenactor Paul Bourget explores life in Civil War encampments, detailing issues of transportation, camp set-ups, medicine, military chores, and especially food.??
About the Museum of Work & Culture
The interactive and educational Museum of Work & Culture shares the stories of the men, women, and children who came to find a better life in Rhode Island???s mill towns in the late 19th- and 20th centuries. It was recently named ???Best Overlooked Museum??? in New England by Yankee Magazine.????
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
Founded in 1822, the RIHS is the fourth-oldest historical society in the United States and is Rhode Island???s largest and oldest historical organization, as well as its only Smithsonian Affiliate. In Providence, the RIHS owns and operates the John Brown House Museum, a designated National Historic Landmark, built in 1788; the Aldrich House, built in 1822 and used for administration and public programs; and the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, where archival, book and image collections are housed. In Woonsocket, the RIHS manages the Museum of Work and Culture, a community museum examining the industrial history of northern Rhode Island and of the workers and settlers, especially French-Canadians, who made it one of the state???s most distinctive areas.