University of California Extension Bas Relief – San Francisco CA

This 1′ x 3.5′ cast-concrete sculpture of an owl was produced with the help of the WPA Federal Art Project. The artist is unknown.

University of California: Bruton Mosaic – Berkeley CA

Helen Bruton completed this 10′ by 20′ mosaic “Sculpture and Dance” in 1936 for the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project. It is located on the east exterior of the old University Art Building.

University of California: Old Art Gallery Mosaics – Berkeley CA

These two Byzantine-style mosaic murals by Helen Bruton and F. Alston Swift were installed in 1936, two years after the Art Gallery opened. They are located on the eastern facade, flanking the building’s double entrance. Each mural measures 18′ by… read more

University of California: Swift Mosaic – Berkeley CA

Florence Alston Swift completed this 10′ by 20′ mosaic  “Music and Painting” for the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project in 1936. It is located on the east exterior of old University Art Building.

University of Louisville: Grawemeyer Hall Sculptures – Louisville KY

Two 4′ high classical style sculptures flank the entrance to Grawemeyer Hall. They were built in 1939 with WPA Federal Art Project funding. The artist is unknown.

University of New Hampshire Murals – Durham NH

“Three New Hampshire artists were hired to paint a series of murals for the University Library [then the Hamilton Smith Library]. These murals were painted under direction of Omer T. Lassonde, State Supervisor of the New Hampshire WPA Art Project…. read more

University of New Mexico Art Museum: Raymond Jonson Murals – Albuquerque NM

This series of six large murals entitled the “Cycle of Science” was created for the old UNM Library in 1934 with funding from the PWAP. The murals depict, respectively, “Astronomy,” “Engineering,” “Chemistry,” “Biology,” “Physics,” and “Mathematics.” The series was designed to… read more

University of New Mexico Art Museum: Willard Nash Murals – Albuquerque NM

This series of six murals by Willard Nash was designed for the old UNM Library and completed with PWAP funds in 1934. The murals “originally hung for five years opposite six Raymond Jonson murals in Zimmerman Library. These two sets… read more

University of New Mexico, Anthropology Annex – Albuquerque NM

“Albuquerque is home to scores of WPA buildings and works. Among the most prolific are the following- … John Gaw Meem designed both S[h]coles Hall and Zimmerman Library on the campus of the University of New Mexico (the corner of… read more

University of Rhode Island Art, Youth, Elements Mural – Kingston RI

Murals were covered over in the 1960s and rediscovered in 2010. Medium: oil on canvas Size: 6 murals Restoration Info: The murals were rediscovered during restoration funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2010.

University of Rhode Island, Lost Green Hall Murals – South Kingstown RI

Several New Deal murals were painted for URI’s Green Hall (the library and administration building), but they have since been lost.

University of Rhode Island: Edwards Hall Murals – Kingston RI

Edwards Hall contains six murals painted by Gino Conti, located in Edwards Hall, the main auditorium of the University of Rhode Island. The murals were created in 1941 under the WPA’s Federal Art Project. They were covered over with sheetrock… read more

University of Vermont: Pease Mural – Burlington VT

The Burlington-born artist Raymond Pease was commissioned by the Public Works of Art Program to paint a mural at Perkins Hall at the University of Vermont. The mural was covered with drywall during renovations in 1992. It was rediscovered in… read more

University of Wisconsin: Watrous Murals (lost) – Madison WI

James Watrous painted a tempera-on-gesso mural cycle consisting of nine 6′ tall panels, called “The Story of Paul Bunyan,”  in the UW Memorial Student Union. The works were painted in 1935 with funds provided by the federal government, and given the… read more

University of Wyoming: Wyoming Union Mural – Laramie WY

The Wyoming Union [student union] building on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie houses a striking example of New Deal artwork created by Lynn Faucett for the then-recently completed building. “Among the last of the WPA murals done in… read more

University Station Post Office Murals – Seattle WA

Multiple Section of Fine Arts murals hang in Seattle’s University Station post office. The murals by Jacob Elshin were painted in 1939 and are entitled Historical Review of Education and Present Day Education and Present Day Education. The murals are… read more

Upland Elementary School Murals – Upland CA

Artist Paul Julian created a series of large petrachrome murals on the exterior of Upland Elementary School’s auditorium. The murals, each depicting a scene from Upland’s history, were funded by the WPA’s Federal Art Project and completed in 1942.

Upper Marlboro Library: Jamieson Mural – Upper Marlboro MD

Mitchell Jamieson painted the mural “Tobacco Cutters” in 1938 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts to hang in the former Upper Marlboro post office. The building is now the Upper Marlboro branch of the Prince George’s County public library…. read more

Uptown Post Office Murals – Chicago IL

The Uptown Post Office Murals “Carl Sandburg and Louis Sullivan” were WPA New Deal Art Projects completed in 1943 by Henry Varnum Poor. These are significant murals created by the WPA which celebrates both agriculture and poetry (Uptown PO Chicago)…. read more

Valencia Gardens Animal Sculptures – San Francisco CA

From the New Deal Art Registry: “At the Valencia Gardens Housing Project, Beniamino Bufano’s glistening statue of a mother bear nursing two cubs, in smooth red granite, is a joy to the eye. Nearby are two granite seals, a granite… read more

Valencia Gardens Cat and Mouse Sculpture – San Francisco CA

“At the Valencia Gardens Housing Project, Bufano’s glistening statue of a mother bear nursing two cubs, in smooth red granite, is a joy to the eye. Nearby are two granite seals, a granite cat with a mouse, and a granite… read more

Vallejo Music Theater Tile Mural – Vallejo CA

This 1934 25′ x 6′ glazed ceramic tile mural by Earl Barnett still hangs in the old post office lobby, now the Vallejo Music Theater. The mural is entitled “Festival Following Completion of New Sectional Docks, Mare Island 1855.”

Venice High School Murals – Los Angeles CA

Grace Rivet Clements and Helen Lundeberg painted two 18′ by 33′ frescoes for Venice High School (Los Angeles, CA) in 1941: “History of Southern California” and “History of Early California.” Located in the school library, the frescoes were funded by… read more

Ventura High School Frieze and Sculpture – Ventura CA

Bartholume Mako created two artworks for the auditorium foyer of Ventura High School in Ventura CA. One is a 12-foot high plaster sculpture titled “Roman Goddess” and the other is a 15 x 6-foot plaster frieze called “Roman Scene.” They… read more

Veterans’ Memorial Park – West Warwick RI

The WPA built these two stone memorials in 1936. Whether they were both originally at this site is unclear, but they are now both on the lawn of the American Legion hall. The listed date is for the smaller of… read more

Vidalia City Hall Mural – Vidalia GA

“The Country Store and Post Office” by Daniel Celentano was created with Treasury Section of Fine Arts funding. During renovations at the old post office building, the middle section of the mural was destroyed. The City restored the mural as… read more

Village Hall (Old Post Office) Murals – Wappingers Falls NY

The old post office, now village hall contains two Section of Fine Arts murals by Henry Billings: “The two Wappinger[s] Falls murals are located in the Town Hall, a Dutchess County Historical site, and formerly the town’s post office. The… read more

Virgil Middle School: Heller Mural – Los Angeles CA

In 1939, Bessie Pierce Heller painted a mural, “The Map Makers of the World,” for Virgil Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. The mural, a two-panel encaustic fresco located in the school library, received funding from the WPA Federal Art… read more

W. H. Kirk Middle School (demolished) Murals – East Cleveland OH

Nine murals resided in the auditorium lobby of the W. H. Kirk Middle School in East Cleveland, Ohio. “The school, built in 1930, displayed nine murals, collectively known as The Progression of Man. The murals were commissioned by the Works… read more

Wakefield Station Post Office Mural – Bronx NY

The Wakefield Station post office in the Bronx, New York contains a 1942 Section of Fine Arts entitled “Washington and the Battle of the Bronx” painted by Irving A. Block and Abraham Lishinsky.

Walker County Home – Jasper AL

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Walker County Home in Jasper. The exact location or condition of this facility is unknown to the Living New Deal.  

Washington at Valley Forge Memorial Restoration – Brooklyn NY

The Washington at Valley Forge memorial is an equestrian statue of George Washington   (1732–1799), Commander in Chief and first President of the United States (1789–97), sculpted by Henry Merwin Shrady in 1901.  It is the centerpiece of Brooklyn’s Continental… read more

Washington Hall: Stained Glass Windows – West Point NY

In 1936, George Pearse Ennis completed this stained glass window, entitled, “Life of Washington,” for the Works Progress Administration/Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP). It was installed in Washington Hall, the Mess Hall of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Washington Hall: T.L. Johnson Mural – West Point NY

Panorama of Military History – Painted by T.L. Johnson and funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). Covering the south wall is a tremendous mural, in brilliant colors, which features a panorama of military history. The drawing covers an area… read more

Washington Irving Statue Restoration – New York NY

This bust of Washington Irving has an interesting history: “In the late 1800s to early 1900s, a large bronze bust of Washington Irving, mounted on a granite pedestal, stood in the south side of Bryant Park. The author of “Sleepy… read more

Washington Middle School Mural – Long Beach CA

P. G. Napolitano painted a mural for Washington Middle School in Long Beach, CA. The mural, located in the school’s science building, received funding from the Federal Arts Project (FAP). “Mr. Napolitano’s main interest has always been in murals, which… read more

Watercolor – San Francisco CA

In 1933, David Park painted the watercolor, “200 Men Making Trails on Cliff Face, Lands End—San Francisco,” for the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP). This is among a series that were likely meant as studies for murals depicting Civil… read more

Wauwatosa East High School Mural – Wauwatosa WI

“[The painter of these murals was] Myron Nutting and in 1934 when he painted the canvases under a Federal Arts Program project at Wauwatosa (East) High School, he was an art instructor at the old Layton School of Art in… read more

Wayne Aspinall Federal Building Mural – Grand Junction CO

Crescent shaped oil on canvas, 5′ x 7’9″. ” The Harvest”, by Louise Emerson Ronnebeck (1901-1980), portrays a young man and woman working together harvesting peaches provided by the rich Colorado soil. A water/paddle wheel in the background represents modern… read more

Wayne State University Student Center Mural – Detroit MI

The oil-on-canvas mural “Automobile Industry” by William Gropper was funded by the Section of Fine Arts in 1941. It was originally installed in Detroit’s Northwestern Branch post office, but has since been relocated to the Wayne State University Student Center.