Rekindling the Spark of the New Deal

Rekindling the Spark of the New Deal Last month, at our first-ever conference,“Women and the Spirit of the New Deal,” we welcomed writers, artists, scholars, labor leaders, elected officials, and activists to UC Berkeley to partake in the lessons, inspiration,… read more

Be a Nuisance Where It Counts

Be a Nuisance Where It Counts This summer, we’re working to fill a significant gap in the New Deal’s backstory—the role of women and their lasting impact on the social welfare of the nation. In collaboration with the Frances Perkins… read more

A New Deal Spirit

Activist and art critic Anita Brenner was excited by the New Deal. She saw a “New Deal spirit” in the struggling artists of the WPA. “You can see it in his grin . . . in his truculent exuberance; you can… read more

Winter 2018

Thank you for being a part of the Living New Deal community. Your help makes our programs possible—from creating the first-ever and still-growing online index to the New Deal’s vast legacy; to our public events, tours, exhibits, and publications; to… read more

The Best Possible Life

FDR’s Labor Secretary, Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet, wrote: “What was the New Deal anyhow?  Was it a political plot? Was it just a name for a period in history?  Was it a revolution?  To all… read more

Summer 2017

New York City was the country’s single greatest recipient of New Deal investment. This summer, the Living New Deal was warmly welcomed to the city to celebrate the publication of our new map and guide to New York’s vast New… read more

Spring 2017 Newsletter

These days it’s important to remember a time when our government invested in new infrastructure, the arts, parks, the environment, and the health and welfare of the American people. Our new publication, a “Map and Guide to New Deal New… read more

Winter 2017

A colleague’s research into the art of the New Deal recently led her to the National Archives. That’s where Kathleen Duxbury discovered a calendar published in 1939 by the Federal Arts Project, a lifeline for artists during the Great Depression…. read more

Fall 2016 Newsletter

Amidst the shambles of the Great Depression, FDR and his “brain trust” set about making America work again— investing in jobs, infrastructure, the environment, public spaces, education, and the arts. Much of what got created during the New Deal is… read more