The historic former Federal Building and Post Office in Phoenix, Arizona houses examples of New Deal artwork. In 1937 the U.S. Treasury’s Section of Fine Arts commissioned artist La Verne Nelson Black to create two murals for the east wing… read more
Jacob Getlar Smith painted three oil-on-canvas murals for the Main Street Maude R. Toulson Federal Building and Post Office in 1939: “Salisbury,” “Stage at Byrd’s Inn” and “Cotton Patch.” From an onsite plaque: “Jacob Getlar Smith was born February 3,… read more
“Justice Tempered with Mercy (Uphold the Right, Prevent the Wrong)” by Emil Bisttram was originally installed in the courthouse at Roswell, NM. It was painted with Treasury Relief Art Project funds in 1936 and moved to its present location in… read more
“The Pueblo Rebellion of 1680” was painted by Loren Mozley in 1936 with Federal Art Project funds and restored in 1996.
The United States Courthouse in Columbia, TN, formerly the post office, is home to Sidney Waugh’s 1941 limestone sculpture, entitled “American Eagle,” and Henry Billings’s 1942 oil on canvas mural, entitled “Maury County Landscape.” Both were completed with funds provided… read more
“The most significant interior space is the original federal district courtroom on the first floor. This room retains its original stained walnut wainscot and benches, and features an oil-on-canvas mural titled ‘Alaskan Landscape’ behind the judge’s bench. The mural was… read more
The oil-on-canvas mural entitled “Trailing Cattle” was painted by Leo J. Beaulaurier in 1942. The mural was commissioned as part of a 1940 expansion of the 1914 building. NRHP: “”The post office also contains a mural at the east end… read more
Provo’s J. Will Robinson Federal Building houses a New Deal mural, “Early and Modern Provo,” by Everett C. Thorpe, completed in 1942. The work was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts for what was then the main… read more
This walnut relief entitled “The Building of Grand Crossing” by Laci de Gerenday with Treasury Section funding in 1940. It originally hung in the 1936 post office and federal courthouse across the street.
The Newport News Federal Building contains three unglazed terra cotta sculptures by Mary B. Fowler, completed with Treasury Section of Fine Arts funds in 1943. The sculptures depict local history: “Captain Newport Brings News and Aid to the Starving Colonists,” “Present… read more
The southern face of the federal building in Peoria, Illinois, features four limestone sculptures: “Postal Service,” “Agriculture,” Industry,” and “Native Indian.” Commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, Freeman Schoolcraft completed the sculptures in 1939.
A beautiful, 16 panel mural titled “San Antonio’s Importance in History” adorns the walls of the Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building (formerly the main U.S. Post Office) in downtown San Antonio Texas. The mural was painted by Howard Cook between… read more
Edward Laning completed a mural entitled “The Role of the Immigrant in the Industrial Development of America” in 1938 for the Dining Hall in the Administration Building on Ellis Island with funding from the WPA’s Federal Art Project. “The mural was 10 feet… read more
The 5-foot-high fresco entitled “Country Fair, Trading, Courthouse Square” wraps around four sides of the room and was painted with Treasury Section of Fine Arts funds.
Section of Fine Arts mural “Tennessee Valley Authority” painted for the Huntsville post office and courthouse by Xavier Gonzalez, 1937. “The Huntsville mural was the largest and most expensive panel commissioned in Alabama and the only one placed in a… read more
In 1938, Thomas Laman painted five egg tempera on canvas murals for the Eureka post office and courthouse under the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP). The murals depict mining, farming, railroad building, and fauna of northern California. The 0ld… read more
This massive work is a large triptych on the second floor of the former Terre Haute Federal Building that now houses Indiana State University College of Business. The mural portrays the scene of the signing of the Magna Carta in… read more
The exterior of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) building is enhanced by several works of art commissioned by the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts in 1938. Above the entrances are rectangular bas-relief panels that represent foreign trade, agriculture, shipping, and… read more
The exterior of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) building is enhanced by several works of art commissioned by the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts in 1938. The building is fronted on the east side by two monumental sculptures, entitled… read more
The exterior of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) building is enhanced by several works of art commissioned by the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts in 1938. The large, cast aluminum grilles on the Constitution Avenue entrance have six images… read more
Julius Moessel worked under the Federal Art Project, and the WPA Federal Project Number One. He created an astonishing eighteen murals. The 7′ x 9′ panels were created for the Chicago Field Museum’s “Plants of the World Exhibit”, specifically for… read more
The First Houses public housing development was constructed by the WPA in 1935. It is decorated throughout the courtyard and on the walls here and there with small animal statues and carvings. The New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation plaque at… read more
Flushing High School was built in the early 20th century. In 1938, the school received four murals funded by the WPA’s Federal Art Project.
The terra cotta bas relief sculpture mounted above the front entrance to the Forest Hills Station post office on Queens Boulevard is titled, “The Spirit of Communication”. It was created by Sten Jacobson under the federal Treasury Department Section of Fine… read more
The historic U.S. Forest Service Building (now United States Department of Agriculture Building) in Elkins, West Virginia houses examples of New Deal artwork: “Forest Service” and “Mining Village,” two tempera murals by Stevan Dohanos. Completed in 1939, the works were… read more
The Treasury Section of Fine Arts funded two oil-on-canvas murals for this building: “Pulpwood Logging,” painted by Philip Guston in 1941; and “Wildlife in White Mountains,” painted by Musa McKim in 1941.
The Civilian Conservation (CCC) helped the National Park Service reconstruct Fort Churchill in the 1930s. Fort Churchill was an 1860s army post built along the Overland Emigrant Trail, which was abandoned in 1869 when its usefulness had passed. Afterward, it… read more
“Wyoming schools also benefited from the WPA Federal Art Project [WPA/FAP], which was responsible for a number of murals painted inside the buildings. Although the list of school murals is incomplete, it includes … seven panels for the Fort Washakie… read more
This building has multiple murals, including two by Eugene Savage entitled “The Receiver of Taxes,” “The Disbursement of Tax Dollars” and an unnamed mural (all pictured here). They were created 1937, likely with funding from the Federal Art Project [confirmation needed]…. read more
One of the results of the 1936 Works Progress Administration (WPA) airport beautification project was the Four Winds fountain and bas-reliefs by sculptor Enrique Alférez. The airport, originally Shushan Airport, was renamed New Orleans Municipal Airport, and then Lakefront Airport… read more
Kalamazoo’s Bronson Park featured an Art Deco-style fountain built with help from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The fountain was located toward the east side of the park. Kalamazoo Business and Professional Women’s Club held a competition, awarding the first… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) restored and recarved hundreds of totem poles in Alaska, as part of a restoration program that lasted between 1938 and 1942. The program was part of a larger U.S. Forest Service effort to employ Alaska Natives… read more
“The Four Freedoms” by Michael Lenson was created in 1942 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project. The New York Times wrote the following in 2003 in a retrospective article of New Jersey-based artist Michael Lenson: “[Mr. Lenson] moved… read more
“In 1935 the Section on Painting and Sculpture of the Treasury Department of the Federal Government announced two competitions – one for a mural painting and one for a statue to be located in two courtrooms of the newly constructed… read more
In 1934, Leo Katz painted a three-panel mural in the lobby of Frank Wiggins Trade School (today’s Los Angeles Trade-Technical College) in Los Angeles, CA. Katz was assisted by artists Tyrone Comfort and Ben Messick. The side panels were funded… read more
From 1939 to 1942, Portland’s Franklin High School benefited from two different Works Progress Administration (WPA) initiatives. One of the projects allowed artists from the Federal Art Project, one of the five independent branches of the Works Progress Administration, to… read more
Chapel Hill’s historic Franklin Street Station Post Office houses an example of New Deal artwork: an oil-on-canvas mural entitled “Laying the Cornerstone of Old East.” Painted by Dean Cornwell, the work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.
Olive Rush painted this fresco, entitled “The Library Reaches the People,” in 1934, with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project. Its current location was originally Santa Fe’s public library, and is now part of the Palace of the Governors.
“One of the primary goals of the Federal Art Project was to bring different kinds of art to the American people. Sculptor Kathleen Wilson was funded by FAP to create 12 three-foot statues representing historic priests. Local teenagers were hired… read more
The Fresno Bee of 10/6/38 reported that Fresnos first New Deal art project was an 8×12 feet historical wall map for the Fresno County Historical Society in the Fresno Memorial Auditorium. Current status to be determined.