Curran M

Decades of America America in the 1930's: WPA Art

The twenties were over. The decade of economic profusion and social decadence had come to a screeching halt with the Wall Street crash of 1929. Americans found themselves living in a world of financial hardship and uncertainty that would have been unimaginable less than a decade before. Despite unprecedented poverty levels and the resulting fear of violent social unrest, Franklin D.Roosevelt's "New Deal" administration succeeded in winning the hearts and confidence of the American people. The essence of the New Deal was putting people to work.

Much of the America that we enjoy today was created by New Deal programs, like the WPA, and the hard work of the American citizens that these programs put to work. Public buildings, parks, sidewalks,and highways began to spring up. Among the more suprising public work produced were 100,000 easel paintings, 18,000
sculptures, over 13,000 prints, more than 4,000 murals along with posters and photographs. Amazingly, in an age of one of the worst economic disasters in history, the United States government made art a priority. The rationale behind this unlikely subsidy was the impeccable thinking of Roosevelt and his cabinet that America needed cultural as well as financial assistance. And this culture was not just meant for the wealthy elite. This was culture that was to reach the poor and uneducated as well. To this end the New Deal government employed and commissioned over 10,000 artists from 1933 to 1943.

Art of the WPA

This page is an attempt to provide a brief overview of the art produced during the New Deal in America. This art is most often categorized as art of the WPA(Works Progress Administration) or of the Federal Art Project, also known as the FAP. Today, WPA/FAP art is frequently ignored or forgotten by the critical community because of its conceptual distance from the ruling aesthetic of the time. That is to say that the mostly realistic work produced under WPA/FAP auspices was far removed from abstract expressionism. It is exactly this removal from the mainstream, however, that makes this art significant. For my purposes, WPA/FAP art serves as an index of the practical, down-to-earth "flavor" of the Depression Era.
Although the art of this period is extremely ecclectic in form, this page will focus on three main areas of concern:

1. public art- although all of the art sponsored by the WPA was considered public, this section focuses on murals that were dispayed in public areas such as post-offices and schools

2. posters- another pragmatic way in which artists were employed was the creation of posters with public service messages

3. theatre- this is the most interesting area to me as a theatre artist myself. This area contains posters, photographs, and scenic sketches from the Federal Theatre Project

Conclusions

Although the art of the WPA/FAP has traditionally been ignored by critics, this art is vastly important to an understanding of the spirit of the Depression era and particularly of the New Deal. Again, its existence outside the artistic mainstream and failure to participate in popular movements does not place it outside the realm of importance, but actually emphasizes its importance and relevance as a distinctly American artistic phenomenon. As a result, the art of the WPA/FAP and its history helps us understand not only the rather practical and down to earth spirit of the thirties in America, but also the present day relationship of government to the arts. Even more importantly, however, I believe that the WPA/FAP may provide a model or an ideal that today's legislators can look to for guidance on issues of government and the arts. It is important to note that during the toughest economic times this country has ever witnessed, the U.S. government made refined culture a priority. It is also important to note the benefits of providing arts for all areas and classes of the U.S. What would American art be today had it not been for the WPA?

Joe Jones, color sketch for "Men and Wheat," Seneca, Kansas For a more comprehensive overview of the Depression era in the U.S. and the New Deal in particular, refer to The New Deal Network.

Sources for this page include:
**Brown, Lorraine ed. Liberty Deferred and Other Living Newspapers of the 1930's.
Fairfax: George Mason University Press, 1989.
**DeNoon, Christopher. Posters of the WPA.
Los Angeles: The Wheatley Press, 1987.
**Mathews, Jane DeHart. The Federal Theatre, 1935-1939 Plays, Relief, and Politics.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1967.
**Park, Marlene and Gerald E. Markowitz. Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1984.

This page was conceived as an assignment in Steven L. Gilliam's "Survery of Historical Style" class. All backgrounds complimentsof A ce of Space