Art & Architecture: Legacy & Loss

News items that speak to the vast legacy of New Deal art and architecture and to controversies about the loss of historic works or their relevance to modern times.

• Private Gain to a Few Trumps Public Good for the Many

  • August 24, 2013

  Prof. Robert Reich, a member of the Living New Deal's Advisory Board, hits the nail on the head in his latest blog post (Thursday, August 22, 2013).  Here's an outtake from Reich's opinion piece, which can be read in its entirety at robertreich.org: "A society — any society —- is defined ...
• Morton WA Installs New Post Office Murals

  • June 30, 2013

  Inspired by many of the same ideals that fueled the New Deal, this small town in Morton, Washington has recently banded together to create a set of brand new murals for the local post office. The murals were funded by the USPS, painted by local artist Pamela Kelly. Morton is set ...
• Dreier and Cohen: "Americans Deserve a Big Raise"

  • June 25, 2013

  Seventy-five years later, an essential New Deal program remains essential. From the Huffington Post today comes this analysis from Peter Dreier (author of The 100 Greatest Americans:  A Social Justice Hall of Fame, which we reviewed this winter) and Donald Cohen (chair of In the Public Interest): "Business groups and their ...
• John Nichols on Lautenberg and the "New Deal Faith"

  • June 10, 2013

  Nation and Capitol Times editor/writer John Nichols eulogized Senate stalwart Frank Lautenberg (New Jersey_ when he passed away last month, by calling him bold, unapologetic, and a carrier of the New Deal Faith. Among other things, Lautenberg was the fire behind the 21st Century WPA Act, which aims to revive ...
• A New Deal for Germany & France

  • May 30, 2013

  According to the Sydney Morning Herald, "Germany and France are to tackle mass youth unemployment that is gripping southern Europe with a 'New Deal' aimed at curbing the mounting anger threatening to tear apart the eurozone. The 'New Deal for Europe' will provide European Union funds to pay for language courses and ...
• Federal Appeals Court Restricts Workers’ Rights

  • May 27, 2013

  Under the New Deal’s landmark National Labor Relations Act it became illegal for an employer to punish organizers for trying to form a union (though they often still do). In unionized workplaces, the law requires employers and unions to bargain in good faith (though they often do not). Yet

  Under the New Deal’s landmark National Labor Relations Act it became illegal for an employer to punish organizers for trying to form a union (though they often still do). In unionized workplaces, the law requires employers and unions to bargain in good faith (though they often do not). Yet ...
• A New Deal for Europe

  • May 27, 2013

  Germany and France have announced a major initiative to address youth unemployment. They’ve named the effort the "New Deal for Europe,” after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Great Depression recovery plan.

  Germany and France have announced a major initiative to address youth unemployment. They’ve named the effort the "New Deal for Europe,” after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Great Depression recovery plan. ...
• America’s Infrastructure Gets a D+

  • May 27, 2013

  If there ever was a time to invest in a New New Deal, this is it. Our airports, roads, bridges, dams, parks, schools, and water lines are falling apart. The American Society of Civil Engineers annually issues a report card on the condition of our nation’s infrastructure. This year the

  If there ever was a time to invest in a New New Deal, this is it. Our airports, roads, bridges, dams, parks, schools, and water lines are falling apart. The American Society of Civil Engineers annually issues a report card on the condition of our nation’s infrastructure. This year the ...
• A new CCC and WPA could help fight our record-setting wildfires

  • May 16, 2013

  On his blog, Brent McKee is chronicling the many ways that a new set of New Deal agencies could support health and welfare of the nation:   A recent Huffington Post article reports: "A dry winter and early warming has created conditions for a fire season that could begin earlier than usual and burn ...
• Guest Essay: ‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world

  • May 16, 2013

  By Stephen Seufert “We cannot continue to deny and postpone the demands of our own people while spending billions in the name of freedom elsewhere around the globe. No nation can exert greater influence or power in the world then it can exercise over the streets of its own capital” --Robert F. ...