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With the economy in shambles and one in four workers unemployed, FDR appointed Harry Hopkins to come up with programs to provide relief. Public works projects would provide millions of jobs and become the backbone of the economic recovery. Hopkins recognized that artists, too, needed work. “Hell,” he said, “they've got to eat just like other people!”
The WPA's Federal Arts Project hired thousands of visual artists to produce paintings, murals, prints, crafts and sculptures for the government buildings being constructed throughout the country. The Federal Music Project and Federal Theater Project hired thousands more, bringing the performing arts to cities and towns, alike. The Great Depression cast a dark cloud over the nation. The New Deal arts programs were the silver lining.
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By Harold Porcher
The profound influence of three Mexican artists—Rivera, Siqueiros and Orozco—can be found in the murals, prints, photographs and easel paintings created under the New Deal art programs. READ MORE
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 Black in the Limelight
By Jonathan Shipley
Created in 1935, the WPA’s Federal Theatre Project was the government’s most ambitious effort ever to organize and produce live theater events. The Negro Units, also called the Negro Theatre Project, provided much-needed employment and apprenticeships to Black actors, directors, theatre technicians and playwrights. READ MORE
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March 11–September 11, 2022
Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe
National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY
WPA artist, Oscar Howe (1915–1983) challenged the art establishment’s preconceptions and definitions of Native American painting. Dakota Modern traces more than forty years of the artist’s career and his innovative and abstract approach to painting.
On view at the Portland (OR) Art Museum, November 5, 2022–May 14, 2023 and at the South Dakota Art Museum at South Dakota State University, June 10, 2023–September 17, 2023. LEARN MORE
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 January 22 - April 22, 2022
Righting a Wrong
Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico
This Smithsonian traveling exhibition examines the complicated history and impact of Executive Order 9066 in 1942 that led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. LEARN MORE
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"THE ART OF THE NEW DEAL”
WEBINARS FROM THE LIVING NEW DEAL
 Thursday, March 17, 5pm PDT
“Los Tres Grandes—Mexican Muralists’ Influence on the Artists of the WPA”
Post-revolution art in Mexico made a strong impression on American artists. Many who drew inspiration from Mexican muralists went to work for the WPA. Presenter Harold Porcher is the director of Modern & Post-War Art at Swann Auction Galleries, New York. Free. REGISTER
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 Friday, April 22, 5pm PDT
“Art and Intersections: The Harlem Renaissance Meets the New Deal”
The Harlem Renaissance may be best known for its literary and performing arts but visual artists were key contributors, as well. Many participated in the WPA's Federal Art Project (1935–1943), and its key legacy—the art centers that nourished the Civil Rights and the Black Arts Movements. Presenter Dr. Stephanie Anne Johnson is on the faculty of the Visual and Public Art Department at Cal State, Monterey Bay. Free. REGISTER
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 Thursday, May 19, 5pm PDT
“New Deal Photography Through the Lens of Arthur Rothstein”
At age 20, New York photographer Arthur Rothstein (1915-1985) began documenting the Great Depression. His many images for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) depict struggles that persist today.
Presenter Dr. Annie Rothstein Segan is director of the Arthur Rothstein Legacy Project, New York. Free. REGISTER
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Some links may limit access for nonsubscribers. Please support local journalism, if you can.
Eighty Years After the U.S. Incarcerated 120,000 Japanese Americans, Trauma and Scars Still Remain
On February 19, 1942, little more than two months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. Families of Japanese origin were stripped of their rights and freedoms.
By Alice George
Smithsonian, February 11, 2011
Utah senator drops opposition, internment camp bill advances
A proposal to create a national historic site at a former World War II Japanese American internment camp in rural Colorado has passed the U.S. Senate after Republican Sen. Mike Lee dropped his objections to adding more land to the federal government’s portfolio. The bipartisan bill to make Camp Amache part of the National Park System goes to the House for final consideration.
By James Anderson
AP, February 15, 2022
When a National Unity Government Really Worked — And Why It Can’t Happen Now
During previous emergencies, some presidents reached across the aisle to form a governing coalition. Today’s polarization makes that impossible.
By Jeff Greenfield
Politico, January 15, 2022
It’s time to go big again, urge ‘The Descendants’ of the New Deal
Long proud of their forebears’ roles in reshaping American society, offspring of FDR and his Cabinet came together to pick up the torch for a new social and economic transformation and to cheer on President Joe Biden as he invoked the New Deal, even as his “Build Back Better" legislation now sits dead in the water.
By Bill Nemitz
Portland Press Herald, February 21, 2022
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“No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt, Statement on the National Industrial Recovery Act
June 16, 1933
In Case You Missed It
"Silver Lining"
As a young filmmaker, Barbara Bernstein, co-founder of the online New Deal Art Registry and a Living New Deal team member, was drawn to the WPA murals in her home town of Chicago.
“Silver Lining,” produced in 1976, features her interviews with New Deal artists
and celebrates their work.
WATCH VIDEO: Silver Lining, 22 Minutes
YOUR DONATIONS KEEP THE NEW DEAL SPIRIT ALIVE.
The Living New Deal thanks you for your generous support!
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