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"Abstract full-length portrait of Louis Pasteur. The red granite figure wears a cape and belt of stainless steel. The cape is decorated with twenty-two stainless steel round buttons. The sculpture stands on a concrete pedestal base." "The sculpture was created as a WPA (Works Progress Administration) project, and the school paid $300 for materials. It was originally in a glade by the school's art building, but around 1959 was knocked down by vandals and the figure's nose was damaged. The sculpture was reinstalled in a landscaped area by the school's Science building. In September 1969, the artist attempted to remove the...

The Sandersville high/elementary school was constructed by the PWA in 1939. The red brick building with a Georgian-Colonial facade was built on one level in the shape of an E. The high school was on the east side and the elementary school on the west, with the Administrative office, library, commercial and home economics rooms in the middle front. The 600 seat auditorium, music and expression rooms were in the center arm of the E. A small lunch room was built behind the auditorium. A newspaper article indicates the school district filed an application with the government for a grant...

The Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissioned bas-relief sculptures by Elliot Franz Sandow (1910-1976) at the Orinda Water Treatment Plant, part of the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). They decorate an overflow weir at the plant.  Labor and materials for the project cost $1360. The artist completed similar bas-relief panels for the Labor Temple and Woodminster Amphitheater in Oakland. The sculptures remain in fine condition and are available for public viewing at the Orinda plant.

Campbell Grant was hired by the WPA in 1934 to paint two murals for Santa Barbara High School: "North America" and "South America." The murals went up in the administrative lobby and have recently been restored. Campbell Grant was the brother of Gordon K. Grant, another active New Deal artist.

Two 25' x 8' oil on canvas lunettes by Samuel Vaughan were commissioned by the Federal Art Project: "Men at Work" and "US Army in Europe"

Four oil on canvas murals depicting Santa Cruz's industry: "Cabbage Farming," "Limestone Quarries," "Artichoke," and "Fishing." "The vivid paintings show limestone quarry workers, men picking artichokes and fishermen at the waters edge. One painting, titled Cabbage Culture, shows three farm workers, one of them bent over as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders."

The building was the city administration building, which included city hall, jail, and the fire department. In 1987, the building was remodeled and the adjacent library was enlarged significantly. That is the present configuration. PWA Project no: N.M. 1035-D.

Originally painted for Santa Monica High School's library in 1935—likely under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP)—Conrad Buff's mural "Westward II" was being stored in Barnum Hall as of 2018.

In 1937, Grace Clements adorned a 30-foot curved bench at Santa Monica High School with petrachrome mosaics depicting ocean life. Created under the auspices of the WPA Federal Arts Project (FAP), "Senior Bench" is located in a landscaped area south of the Greek Amphitheater. Clements used the petrachrome method "whereby tinted cement mortar mixed with crushed rock, glass, or tile is applied to the mural surface, with different colored sections delineated by strips of brass. Once hardened, the cement is polished to create a bold, striking appearance. This method was developed by Santa Monica artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright while he was serving...

This 4' by 3' cast stone relief entitled "Comedy, Tragedy, Music" was produced by Olinka Hrdy in 1937 with Federal Art Project (FAP) funds. It is located on the primary (east) façade of Barnum Hall and depicts stylized Greek comedy and tragedy masks as well as musical instruments. According to a 2018 Historic Resources Group report, "some sources credit this piece to Ella Buchanan and Stefan de Vriendt, but this appears to be erroneous" (p. 24).

A 5x5-foot carved wood bas-relief depicting four "Workers" is located in the library over the circulation desk. It was produced in 1937 with Federal Art Project (FAP) funds. The artist is unknown. "Research suggests that the art piece was salvaged around 1970, when the library was relocated from the English Building to the Language Building and the original library space was converted to classrooms" (HRG Report, p. 89).

Artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright designed two murals for Barnum Hall Theater at Santa Monica High School. The works were funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). In 1938, Macdonald-Wright completed a mural titled "Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla" upon Barnum Hall's asbestos stage curtain. The following year, he completed an 8x8-foot mosaic titled "Landing of the Vikings in Vinland" in the theater's foyer. Macdonald-Wright was supervisor for the Southern California division of the FAP from 1935 to 1943. He is considered "an important proponent of the nonrepresentational styles of art on the New Deal projects" (Kalfatovic, p. 370). His other New Deal–funded...

Funded by the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP), artist John Palo-Kangas created a 7-foot-high cast stone sculpture titled "The Viking" for Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, CA, in 1937. As of 2018, the sculpture was "set upon a rectangular concrete basin which has been capped. The backdrop for the sculpture is composed of patterned blocks with a stylized wave design." These blocks "also appear in the foyer of Barnum Hall and around the main entrance of the History Building" (HRG Report, p. 24). As a result of Santa Monica High School's 2021 modernization project—when several historic structures were demolished—"The Viking"...

The petrachrome murals "Santa Paula" and "Youth" were created by Buckley MacGurrin with WPA Federal Art Project (FAP) funds for Santa Paula High School in Santa Paula, CA. MacGurrin also painted a pair of FAP murals for the former Hall of Records in Los Angeles, CA, which was demolished in 1971. The status of these murals is unknown.

"In addition to the public-works projects, Santa Fe also had more than its share of New Deal-financed art and craft projects designed to train young men and women in traditional skills while producing works of art for public buildings. Perhaps the best known of the New Deal art in Santa Fe are the six murals landscapes on canvas affixed to the walls by William Penhallow Henderson in the U.S. District Court building on Federal Place. The old courthouse, built between 1853 and 1889, recently got three more New Deal artworks scenes of Navajo life painted by Warren Rollins for a...

The five panels of this mural depicting the "History of Chicago" are titled: "Father Marquette," "Fort Dearborn," "Great Chicago Fire of 1871," "World's Columbian Exposition of 1893," and "Century of Progress World's Fair of 1933." They were painted by Lucile Ward in 1940 with funds from the WPA Federal Art Project. It was restored in 1997.  

The Works Progress Administration funded the completion of the Oscar Howe Mural in the Mobridge Auditorium, a.k.a. Scherr-Howe Event Center, which is still used today. "The ten Mobridge murals are some of his earliest works. Made possible by WPA funding and done under the direction of his mentor, Andre Boratko, in the midst of World War II (1941-1942), these murals depict Dakota life at contact and interactions with settlers. Howe, a member of the U.S. military himself, was given a 12-day furlough to complete the murals before being sent into active duty. Upon his return, his career as an artist flourished....

Malvin Gary Johnson painted two murals, "Nat Turner" and "Toussaint L'Ouverture" in 1934 with funds provided by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP).

George Melville Smith painted two 9' x 9' murals for the Schubert School: "The Life of Franz Schubert" and "The Hurricane." They were painted in 1938 with WPA Federal Art Project funds.

This 5' high black diorite sculpture "The Aztec" was carved by Donal Hord and his team in 1936, a project that took a year to complete.  The one-ton block of stone they sculpted was quarried locally from Escondido. Previously in front of Heppner Hall, it was moved from its original location to make way for the San Diego Trolley Project. It currently stands in the University's Prospective Student Center. From the San Diego Travel Tips website: "In 1936, San Diego sculptor Donal Hord was commissioned to carve a statue for the campus of San Diego State University. He completed the work,...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of a sewage disposal plant in Denver, CO.

Wendell Jones painted this Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural, "Farmer Family" for the Johnson City post office in 1940. The work was moved from the old post office when a new one was built and now resides in the Sherrod Library on the East Tennessee State University campus. The figure below the cow's tail is a self-portrait of the artist. The Red Setter was Jones's dog and the Irish Setter belonged to friend George Ludin, another prominent artists.  

The historic Sidney O. Smith Jr. Federal Building houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Morgan's Raiders," painted by Daniel Boza in 1936. The oil-on-canvas mural, which was commissioned by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP), was created in conjunction with an expansion to the federal building undertaken at the time. The work is located on the building's third floor.

The early development of Silver Falls State Park can be credited to several of the New Deal programs. A significant portion of the land for the park was purchased by the Federal Resettlement Administration (RA) c. 1935, and developed for recreational use through the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1942. During that period, a distinction was made between Silver Falls Park, which was accessible to the public, and the area designated as the Silver Creek Recreation Development Area (RDA), which was a special federal program designed to allow urban...

This 1938 Section of Fine Arts oil-on-canvas mural "Local Pursuits" by Ambrose Patterson was painted for the then Mount Vernon post office. The building (and mural) are now part of Skagit Valley College's Business Resource Center. “Born in Australia, Patterson studied in Europe before moving to the United States. In 1919, he sounded the School of Painting and Design at the University of Washington. The mural “Local Pursuits” highlights Skagit County’s agricultural industries, including dairy.” (depts.washington.edu)  

The mural was painted in 1934 by Raymond Breinin, an artist hired by the Public Works Art Project. Soon after its completion, the mural became the subject of a political controversy and the school board voted to cover it.  The remnants of the mural are located at the Skokie School Learning Center. The original artwork was 40 foot-wide by 10 foot-tall.

Dacre F. Boulton painted two oil-on-canvas murals, "Industrial" and "Winter," for the U.S. Department of Labor in 1933-1934 with funds provided by the Public Works of Art Project of the Treasury Department (PWAP).  The Smithsonian American Art Museum received this and other artworks in the 1960s when they were transferred from federal offices that had previously displayed them.  The Boulton murals are not on display.

Lily Furedi's oil-on-canvas mural, "Subway," was painted in 1934 under the auspices of the Public Works of Art Project – a relief program to hire unemployed artists. The Smithsonian American Art Museum received Subway and other surviving artworks in the 1960s when they were transferred from the agencies that had previously displayed them. Furedi's painting was transferred from the National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, though it is not known where it was originally hung.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum contains hundreds of New Deal artworks.  Some are on permanent display, many are not. Of those, some are brought out for specific exhibitions from time to time. One permanent display on New Deal art features Eugenie Gershoy's sculptures, "Goddess of Fertility" and New Deal artists at work.  There is a nice plaque acknowledging the Public Works of Art Project and the Federal Arts Project and the thousands of artworks produced under those New Deal arts programs.

Harry W. Scheuch completed two murals for the PWAP titled "Workers on the Cathedral of Learning" and "Finishing the Cathedral of Learning" that were transferred from U.S. Department of Labor to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. According to the Smithsonian: "Artist Harry Scheuch painted the Cathedral of Learning twice for the PWAP. The first image is a close-up view of the masons at work(1964.1.157), while this second painting (1964.1.42) is a more distant view that reveals the horde of workers involved. Together the two paintings tell the story of this mighty undertaking. The forty-two-story structure was not substantially completed until 1937,...

"Bulloch Hall" by Frances Lee Turner was painted in 1934 under the auspices of either the Civil Works Administration (CWA) or the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which gave work to unemployed artists in the early years of the New Deal. The painting traveled from Roswell GA to Washington DC to be hung in the White House. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1965. The painting, like hundreds of other New Deal artworks in the American Art Museum,  is not presently on display.  

Carl Mose created two sculptures depicting "Communication" and "Land" for the (now former) Salina courthouse and post office.  

Four striking limestone sculptures were created by Walker Hancock as part of a Federal Art Project Commission. The work, “Courage, Vision, Sacrifice, Loyalty” was installed around the entrances to St. Louis's historic Soldiers' Memorial in 1939. UMSL.edu: "Walker Hancock, a St. Louis native, created the beautiful statues that adorn both entrances to the Soldiers Memorial. Hancock attended Washington Universtiy, where he studied under Victor Holm. He was not the first choice to create the statues, but when the first artist could not fulfill the obligation, Hancock was next in line. The statues were created during the heart of the depression and a New...

Hans E. Prehn created this plaster sculpture "Saw Mill," financed by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, for the old post office. It was moved to the Cotton Museum in the early 2000's and is not viewable in the front lobby.

Ethel Magafan painted this mural, "The Horse Corral," in 1942 for the then-new South Denver post office. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

In 1938, tempera murals depicting the "History of Printing Through the Ages" were created by Suzanne Miller with Federal Art Project (FAP) funds. There were originally five panels in this series; two have been destroyed, but the murals depicting the history of printing in China, Egypt, and "Modern" times remain. Originally, they were located in the former Long Beach Public Library, which became the South Gate Historical Museum in 1980.

South Park and the nearby Cazenovia Park in Buffalo were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century. The caption to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) photo pictured here lists this water tank as one of five water tanks built by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in South Park during the Great Depression. It notes that while the PWA built the water tank structure, the WPA laid the foundations for the steel work "...and put in water lines." More information is needed to determine the present status and exact location of this water tank.

Sculptor Merrell Gage created a three-panel bas relief above the entrance to the South Pasadena High School Auditorium in South Pasadena, CA, likely with Federal Arts Project (FAP) funding. The Auditorium was a PWA project. The reliefs depict a selection of the classical Greek muses of music, theater, and dance. Gage, an instructor at the University of Southern California and at the Chouinard Art Institute, served as judge for the FAP. His own New Deal–funded works in the region include a frieze and free-standing pylon at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, CA.

Artist Jason Herron sculpted "Erda" (1936) for South Pasadena High School in South Pasadena, CA with Federal Arts Project (FAP) funds. The sculpture was painted terracotta. Los Angeles Public Library lists the sculpture as missing. According to a 1937 article in the Los Angeles School Journal, "Jason Herron is a young lady whose art study has included work under Merrill Gage at USC, Chamberlain in Pasadena, and one year of study at various places in Europe" (Wells, p. 25). Herron's extant New Deal–funded works in Los Angeles, CA, include the Power of Water Fountain (1935) at Lafayette Park and a sculpture at...

In 1937, P. G. Napolitano completed a mural at South Pasadena Junior High School (today's South Pasadena Middle School) in South Pasadena, CA. Located in the school's music room, the mural received funding from the Federal Art Project (FAP). According to staff at the South Pasadena School District, the mural is no longer extant. “Mr. Napolitano’s main interest has always been in murals, which he executes in tempra (egg white), in frescoes, and in Sgraffito which he introduced here in creative work. Much of his work is marked by the omission of pretty detail and mere decorativeness until only the...