Public Works of Art Project
- Public Works of Art Project
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▪ United States federal arts project
first of the U.S. federal art programs conceived as part of the
New Deal during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Its purpose was to prove the feasibility of government patronage. It was organized in December 1933 within the Department of the Treasury with funds from the Civil Works Administration and aimed at giving meaningful work to unemployed artists. It was directed by the financier and painter Edward Bruce and emphasized the “American scene” as subject matter—initiating about 700
mural projects and creating nearly 7,000 easel paintings and watercolours, about 750 sculptures, more than 2,500 works of graphic art, and numerous other works designated to embellish nonfederal public buildings and parks.
Some of the prominent works produced were the once-controversial murals by various hands in Coit Memorial Tower at San Francisco; Grant Wood's cooperative mural in Iowa State College at Ames; Ben Shahn's mural designs on the theme of Prohibition; and Paul Cadmus' “The Fleet's In,” which caused a scandal at the PWAP's 1934 national exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. The PWAP ended in June 1934, having employed 3,749 artists at an expenditure of $1,312,177. Many projects left incomplete at this time, especially murals in the design stage, were continued through the summer of 1935 under state programs funded by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and some were finally finished in the early months of the Works Progress (later Projects) Administration Federal Art Project (
see WPA Federal Art Project).
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Universalium.
2010.
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Public Works of Art Project — The Public Works of Art Project was a program to employ artists, as part of the New Deal, during the Great Depression. It was the first such program, running from December 1933 to June 1934. It was headed by Edward Bruce, under the United States… … Wikipedia
Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) — First of the U.S. federal art programs conceived as part of the New Deal during the Great Depression. Organized in 1933, it provided work to thousands of unemployed artists. PWAP projects (many of which were left unfinished) included some 7,000… … Universalium
WPA Federal Art Project — Extensive visual arts project, part of the Works Progress Administration established by Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. It employed artists with a wide range of experience and styles and had great influence on subsequent U.S.… … Universalium
Federal Art Project — The Federal Art Project (FAP) was the visual arts arm of the Great Depression era New Deal WPA Federal One program in the United States. It operated from August 29, 1935 until June 30, 1943. Reputed to have created more than 200,000 separate… … Wikipedia
art — art1 /ahrt/, n. 1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. 2. the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art… … Universalium
Art — /ahrt/, n. a male given name, form of Arthur. * * * I also called visual art A visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. The term art encompasses diverse media such as painting, sculpture,… … Universalium
ART — Ling. article: often used to represent the class of determiners, including words such as this, that, and some as well as the articles a, an, and the. * * * I also called visual art A visual object or experience consciously created through an… … Universalium
project — projectable, adj. projectingly, adv. n. /proj ekt, ikt/; v. /preuh jekt /, n. 1. something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme. 2. a large or major undertaking, esp. one involving considerable money, personnel, and equipment.… … Universalium
public — /pub lik/, adj. 1. of, pertaining to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole: public funds; a public nuisance. 2. done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole: public prosecution. 3. open to all persons: a public meeting. 4 … Universalium
Federal Art Project — The Federal Art Project was established as part of the Works Progress Administration under Federal One to provide work for artists. By 1936, it employed 6,000 people, more than half of them directly producing works of art, including more than… … Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era
