Maintenance Artist dives deep into the extraordinary life and work of Mierle Laderman Ukeles, who has been the “artist-in-residence” at the NYC Department of Sanitation since 1977. A pioneering ecofeminist and Social Practice artist, Ukeles brought the invisible labor of cleaning, caretaking, and motherhood out into the open and made it the focus of her artistic practice. Through a blend of rare archival footage, and interviews with Ukeles and those in her circle, the film explores how a single artist transformed maintenance and care — the often-dismissed work of women and working-class people — into one of the most profound artistic and political statements of the twentieth century.