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  • Chancellor Avenue School Mural - Newark NJ
    The New York Times wrote the following in 2003 in a retrospective article of New Jersey-based artist Michael Lenson: " moved to Newark and applied at the W.P.A. office on Halsey Street ... Soon, Mr. Lenson was designing and executing murals for the state W.P.A. program. He went on to become assistant state supervisor in charge of the other muralists in the agency." While not confirmed, Michael Lenson purportedly painted a mural at Newark's Chancellor Avenue School: "nother Lenson mural might be hiding behind the wall paint in a windowless room at the Chancellor Avenue School in Newark. According to a retired teacher...
  • Charles E. Simons, Jr. Federal Court House Mural - Aiken SC
    The courthouse contains a 1938 Section of Fine Arts mural by Stefan Hirsch entitled “Justice as Protector and Avenger.” During the 1930s, this mural sparked an intensely racialized controversy: "The central female figure is a reference to the Renaissance Virtue Justice—familiar to us all because she is regularly deployed in courthouses around the world. But the WPA artist explained that his 'figure of "Justice"' was 'without any of the customary . . . symbolic representations (scale, sword, book . . .).' He said that the only 'allegory' he had permitted himself was 'to use the red, white and blue for...
  • Charton Street School Mural - Newark NJ
    The New York Times wrote the following in 2003 in a retrospective article of New Jersey-based artist Michael Lenson: " moved to Newark and applied at the W.P.A. office on Halsey Street ... Soon, Mr. Lenson was designing and executing murals for the state W.P.A. program. He went on to become assistant state supervisor in charge of the other muralists in the agency. By the time the federal W.P.A. closed in 1943, Mr. Lenson had created six murals and supervised the execution of 15 more in New Jersey by other artists. He also made one mural in West Virginia." "Three of Mr. Lenson's...
  • Chemawa Middle School Rex Brandt Murals - Riverside CA
    Rex Brandt was commissioned by the PWAP to paint five murals for Chemawa Junior High School in Riverside, CA. At the time, Brandt was a student at Riverside Community College. When the school was remodeled in 1973, the murals were presumed lost. However, four of the five have happily since been found. Two now hang in the refurbished school, and two are in storage at the Riverside Art Museum. The Riverside Unified School District is still hoping to find the fifth. An attempt to have the murals restored is also currently underway. "The panels in storage are 48 inches by 60 inches...
  • Children's Hospital Mural - Portland ME
    The original Children's Hospital opened in 1908, later merging with the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary (opened in 1890) and the Maine General Hospital (opened in 1874) to become Maine Medical Center. "WPA artists painted murals for two Portland hospitals - including a magnificent one in the children's hospital." According to the July 1940 Bridgton News, the artist on this project was Alton Skillin.  
  • Chopin School Murals - Chicago IL
    Florian Durzynski painted two murals, "Stephen Foster" and "Frederic Chopin," for the Chopin School in 1940 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project.
  • Christopher School Murals - Chicago IL
    The school contains three WPA murals by Arthur Lidov depicting "Characters from Children's Literature." Medium: tempera on plaster on presswood Size: 3 semi-circular panels each about 3'2" r Restoration Info: Restored 1999
  • City Attorney's Office Mural - Burbank CA
    Between 1942 and 1943, Bartholomew de Mako created the mural "Justice" for Burbank City Hall under the auspices of the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Art Program. The mural is now displayed in the lobby of the City Attorney's Office. "Set against the background of the capitol in Washington D.C., we see justice holding the scales in her left hand and an American flag in the right. Beneath her are six figures representing the diverse group of citizens who benefit from our impartial system of jurisprudence. Recently restored, the brilliant pallette jumps off the canvas. Burbank officials are to be commended for...
  • City Auditorium Mural - Colorado Springs CO
    "Hardrock Miners" "The City Auditorium showcases two New Deal murals that face each other in the curved walls above the ticket counters, and explain the early dichotomy of the city. Archie Musick's "Hardrock Miners" tells the story of the mine laborers who helped create the wealth that flowed down the mountains into Colorado Springs, while Tabor Utley's "The Arts" expresses the city founders' vision of a "Newport in the Rockies," peopled by refined citizens. That same dichotomy between hard labor and the arts defined Colorado Springs during the New Deal era." - gazette.com
  • City Auditorium Mural - Colorado Springs CO
    "The Arts" "The City Auditorium showcases two New Deal murals that face each other in the curved walls above the ticket counters, and explain the early dichotomy of the city. Archie Musick's "Hardrock Miners" tells the story of the mine laborers who helped create the wealth that flowed down the mountains into Colorado Springs, while Tabor Utley's "The Arts" expresses the city founders' vision of a "Newport in the Rockies," peopled by refined citizens. That same dichotomy between hard labor and the arts defined Colorado Springs during the New Deal era." - gazette.com
  • City College of San Francisco Mosaic - San Francisco CA
    These two 50' x 45' low-relief polished marble mosaics depicting "Organic and Inorganic Science" by the Swiss-born artist Herman Volz are located in the south portico of San Francisco City College's Science Hall. Juan Breda served as assistant mosaicist for the project. The images represent fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics in tiny tiles. Text accompanying the mural reads 'Give me a base and I move the world.' Restored in 2005, the murals were originally part of the Golden Gate International Exhibition's "Art in Action" show on Treasure Island before they were moved to the college. "Completed on site,...
  • City College of San Francisco: Olmsted Murals - San Francisco CA
    These two 12' x 8' tempera fresco murals painted by Frederick Olmsted reside in the front lobby of San Francisco City College's Science Building over the west entrance stairs. Two murals depict students engaged in scientific research. Muted earth tones and small brush strokes represent a range of endeavors in the sciences, such as viewing bacteria through a microscope, conducting field research, and excavating dinosaur remains. A restoration was completed in 2002 by CCSF faculty, staff, students, and an independent conservator, bringing these images close to their original state. (lisa velarde) Frederick Olmsted (April 10, 1911-February 14, 1990) was born in San Francisco....
  • City College of San Francisco: Rivera Mural - San Francisco CA
    "My mural will picture the fusion between the great past of the Latin American lands, as it is deeply rooted in the soil, and the high mechanical developments of the United States." - Diego Rivera This 22' by 74' fresco on panels was commissioned from the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera by the organizers of the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island.  Rivera and his crew completed the piece in four months.  Rivera's largest free-standing work, "Pan-American Unity" was the centerpiece of Art in Action, an innovative exhibit where fair-goers could watch artists create their work. After the fair...
  • City Hall - Winona MN
    Winona's historic city hall was constructed during the Great Depression as a Public Works Administration (PWA) New Deal project. Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this three-story brick and Winona stone structure was constructed in 1938-9. The PWA provided a grant of $103,815 for the project, whose total cost was $216,406. "The building was renovated and expanded in 2004. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999." PWA Docket No. Minn. 1439
  • City Hall (old Post Office) Mural - Belmont NC
    The historic Belmont City Hall, constructed as the city's post office, houses an example of New Deal artwork. The mural "Mayor Chronicle's South Fork Boys" was completed by Peter DeAnna in 1940; the work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.
  • City Hall (Old Post Office) Mural - Snohomish WA
    This 1940 Section of Fine Arts oil-on-canvas mural by Lance W. Hart, "Construction of a Skid Road in the 80's," was painted for what was then the Snohomish post office. The mural remains in the original location, which is now the Snohomish city hall. “Artists like Hart were required to submit a series of sketches or designs for their murals before final approval. To see a sketch of “Construction of a Skid Road” that is housed in the National Archives, click here.” (depts.washington.edu)
  • City Hall (Old Post Office) Mural - Tillamook OR
    Titled "Captain Gray Entering Tillamook Bay," this mural depicts Captain Gray, who is best known for discovery of the Columbia River in the year 1792. Four years prior to that, however, he became the first white man, on record, to set foot on Oregon’s shore. On the same voyage, he was the first to carry the American flag around the world. Residents of Tillamook County find special interest in the log of his visit. The log tells of the four days spent in what is now Tillamook Bay. He believed he had discovered the “Great River of the West,” something...
  • City Hall Mural - Chicago IL
    This 10' x 27' fresco "The Blessings of Water" was painted by Edward Millman in 1937 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project. It was restored in 1994.
  • City Hall Mural - Chicago IL
    In 1936, when Edward Millman was the state director of mural projects for the FAP, he was commissioned to convert a blank 400 square-foot wall in the City Hall offices of the former Bureau of Water (current Service Center) into a 10’ x 27’ fresco that would portray the importance of water in humanity. “The Blessings of Water” was completed in 1937. The right side of this narrative mural portrays the suffering caused by lack of water and the miserable rural setting caused by the Dust Bowl. On the contrary, the left side is a celebration of the life that...
  • City Hall Mural - Fort Pierce FL
    Fort Pierce, Florida's City Hall contains an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural entitled "Osceola Holding Informal Court with His Chiefs." The work, which was completed in 1938, was originally displayed in the town's historic post office building.
  • City Hall Mural - Littleton CO
    "North Platte Country against the Mountains" was painted by John H. Fraser in 1940 for the Littleton post office, commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Art. It currently hangs in the City Hall.  "When the post office underwent renovations in 1962, the mural was removed, rolled up and stuck in a corner in the post office. It was discovered in the 70s, restored and installed in 1985 in the Littleton City Hall." ( Jimmy Emerson, here)
  • City Hall Mural - Reidsville NC
    The mural "Tobacco," which hangs in the finance office in Reidsville's City Hall was painted by Gordon Samstag with Treasury Section of Fine Arts funds. The building was formerly the city's post office.
  • City Hall Mural - Rome NY
    Wendell Jones painted the oil-on-canvas mural "Barn Raising" in 1942 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Originally painted for the city's then-new post office, the mural is currently viewable in the lobby of Rome's City Hall.
  • City Hall Mural - Sioux Falls SD
    A three-piece fresco was painted byEdwin Boyd Johnson in 1936 for Sioux Falls's brand-new city hall. The work is still extant and housed in the Commissioners Room.
  • City Hall Murals - Key West FL
    Artist William H. Hoffmann painted two WPA oil on canvas murals in 1936 for what was then the Key West High School, then the Glynn Archer Elementary School and is now the new Key West City Hall. The murals were painted to adorn the auditorium stage. "The significance of the paintings -- one depicting the construction of the Florida East Coast Railroad Extension through the Keys, the other portraying the arrival of Spanish explorers on the "isle of bones" Cayo Hueso -- lies as much in the history of the pieces as in the art itself."   (https://keysnews.com/node/45502)      
  • City Hall Murals - South Gate CA
    In 1941, Frank Bowers and Arthur Prunier painted two murals at City Hall in South Gate, CA. The murals, which depict people involved in economic and leisure activities, were funded by the WPA's Federal Arts Project (FAP). Bowers and Prunier also collaborated on a FAP mural at the Ruth Home in El Monte, CA.
  • City Hall Reliefs - Alexander City AL
    Three terra cotta reliefs funded by the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. "Cotton," "Tobacco," and "Wheat" were created by Franc Epping in 1941 and installed in what was then the Alexander City post office at 82 Court Sq. That building has since been turned into a community center, and all three pieces are now in storage in City Hall. There are plans to restore them and install them in the city library.
  • City Hall Sculptures - Kansas City MO
    Artist Carl Paul Jennewein created a series of fountains flanking the walkway to the PWA city hall entrance, descending to the south away from the city hall with a winged horse followed by shells and fantastical creatures. C. Paul Jennewein, Ulric Ellerhusen, and Walker Hancock also carved a series of 16 bas relief friezes surrounding the Kansas City Hall depicting the history and people of Kansas City Paul Jennewein was born In Stuttgart and immigrated to the United States in 1907, apprenticed with Buhler and Lauter, studying at the Art Students League of New York at night. Although he worked as a...
  • City Hall: Ballin Murals - Burbank CA
    Artist Hugo Ballin painted two murals for City Hall in Burbank, CA. Ballin likely received some funding from the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Art Project prior to its termination in 1943. Both murals were fully restored in 2001. "Burbank Industry" (8' x 24') is located in the City Hall rotunda. It is "a painting with multiple planes that marked the passage of time, each layer representing a phase in Burbank’s transformation from a small community of farmers to a center of film production to the capitol of the aviation industry. Although Burbank’s indigenous and Mexican past is notably absent from Ballin’s...
  • City Hall: Macdonald-Wright Murals - Santa Monica CA
    Two large petrachrome murals by Stanton Macdonald-Wright flank the entrance to Santa Monica City Hall. Each one is two-stories high and wraps around a corner of the lobby. The murals would have been funded by the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP), since Macdonald-Wright was supervisor for the FAP's Southern California division from 1935 to 1943. Macdonald-Wright pioneered the petrachrome method, whereby a mural is painted with a liquid mixture of materials including crushed tile, marble and granite. The mural on the south side of the lobby is entitled "Recreation in Santa Monica" and represents popular spectator sports of the time, such as...
  • City Hall: Mako Bas Reliefs – Burbank CA
    In 1943, Bartolo Mako sculpted a set of bas reliefs for City Hall in Burbank, CA. Two are located on the building's east and west wings, with another at the Third Street entrance. The project likely received funding from the Works Projects Administration (WPA) Art Project prior to its termination. The untitled panels on the east and west wings represent the body of peace, an eagle, soldiers, and mechanics at work on an airplane. The panel at the Third Street entrance, titled "A Tribute to Craftsmen," features workers in construction, metal working, and the aviation industry. Mako's other FAP works in the...
  • City of Hope: Guston & Kadish Mural – Duarte CA
    Philip Guston (born Philip Goldstein) and Reuben Kadish painted a large mural for the Los Angeles Tubercular Sanatorium in Duarte, CA, the site of today's City of Hope. Completed in 1936, the mural was funded by the Federal Art Project (FAP). It is located in the Visitor Services Center. "This T-shaped painting surrounding a doorway includes more than 30 nude and semi-nude figures depicting the sweeping progression of human life. To the left is the energy and hopefulness of youth, while on the right the scenes are of decline and disappointment. Connecting the two sections is a group of figures over...
  • City of Hope: Shaffer Mural (former) – Duarte CA
    In 1936, Myer Shaffer painted a mural, "The Social Aspects of Tuberculosis," for the Los Angeles Tubercular Sanatorium in Duarte, CA, the site of today's City of Hope. The 7 by 18 foot mural received funding from the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP), the American Artists' Congress, and the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Shaffer was a 23-year-old student of Mexican social realist artist David Alfaro Siqueiros at the Chouinard Institute in Los Angeles, CA, when he was hired. "Unlike many WPA muralists who painted anonymous subjects or imagined suitable subject matter without doing the research to support their choices,...
  • Cleveland Main Library: Biehle Mural - Cleveland OH
    “In the Cleveland region, the Cleveland Public Library was the largest recipient of art that was funded by Federal programs in the Depression era. The leadership of Linda Eastman, Library Director from 1918 to 1938, was crucial. She believed in the importance of the arts in supporting learning and she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of her brother, painter William Joseph Eastman. Three major murals were painted for the Main Library Building; six murals were painted for branch libraries; children’s sections were decorated with ceramics and dolls (pg 33) that served as aids during story-telling; numerous easel paintings portrayed historical and...
  • Cleveland Main Library: Coltman Mural - Cleveland OH
    “Cleveland has seen its share of blunders over the years, and each one has been well publicized.  What receives little or no acknowledgement though is that Cleveland has produced its share of treasures as well. One such treasure is the artist Ora Coltman, who was born in Shelby, Ohio in 1858.  He studied at the Art Students League in New York City and the Academie Julian in Paris. Coltman was a painter, sculptor, block printer, muralist, teacher, and writer. He kept a studio in Cleveland where has was a member of the Cleveland Society of Artists and Cleveland Printmakers. Exhibitions...
  • Cleveland Main Library: Dale Mural - Cleveland OH
    “In the Cleveland region, the Cleveland Public Library was the largest recipient of art that was funded by Federal programs in the Depression era. The leadership of Linda Eastman, Library Director from 1918 to 1938, was crucial. She believed in the importance of the arts in supporting learning and she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of her brother, painter William Joseph Eastman. Three major murals were painted for the Main Library Building; six murals were painted for branch libraries; children’s sections were decorated with ceramics and dolls (pg 33) that served as aids during story-telling; numerous easel paintings portrayed historical and...
  • Cleveland Main Library: Egan Mural - Cleveland OH
    “In the Cleveland region, the Cleveland Public Library was the largest recipient of art that was funded by Federal programs in the Depression era. The leadership of Linda Eastman, Library Director from 1918 to 1938, was crucial. She believed in the importance of the arts in supporting learning and she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of her brother, painter William Joseph Eastman. Three major murals were painted for the Main Library Building; six murals were painted for branch libraries; children’s sections were decorated with ceramics and dolls (pg 33) that served as aids during story-telling; numerous easel paintings portrayed historical and...
  • Cleveland Main Library: Sommer Mural - Cleveland OH
    “In Cleveland, William Milliken lobbied for a regionalist painting style. His brand, however, was slightly different from the national version. He encouraged local artists to interpret their immediate surroundings in ways that contributed toward a rapport with the public and a definition of the character and perceptions of Northeast Ohio. Milliken also worked to change early twentieth century public opinion that artists were not bohemians, but were fulfilling an integral function for society. He proclaimed that art will ‘elucidate the history and character of the community.’ Milliken’s museum policies, organization of May shows at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and...
  • Clifton Recreation Center Murals - Clifton NJ
    Then the main post office for Clifton, New Jersey (and later known as Clifton's Main Avenue Station post office), what is now the Clifton Recreation Center received a six-panel oil-on-canvas mural titled "Transportation". John Sitton was awarded the contract for the development, painting, and installation of the murals through a National Competition, for which he was awarded $1,700. Further details can be found on the contract dated October 19, 1936 (see image). The murals were installed at the end of 1937. Clifton Postmaster G. A. Keenan pleaded for two additional murals to be painted around the office lobby, but further funds were...
  • Clinton City Hall Mural - Clinton OK
    Loren Mozley painted this mural "Race for Land" in 1938 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It currently hangs in the City Council chambers.
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