- City:
- Arlington, WA
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Murals
- New Deal Agencies:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA), Arts Programs, Work Relief Programs, Federal Arts Project (FAP)
- Completed:
- 1940
- Artist:
- Richard Correll
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Site Survival:
- No Longer Extant
Description
David M. Hartz, superintendent of Arlington’s schools, requested from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a mural of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox to adorn the walls of Arlington High School as a memorial of the folkloric past of the Pacific Northwest (and Arlington’s past as a lumber town). According to the February 1940 issue of the Washington Education Journal, “His inquiry to the WPA Art Project brought a happy response: ‘Yes, artists were available, and a mural could be done for very little cost.’”
The result was that Washington-based artist Richard Correll painted the nine by twelve foot mural, “Bunyan at Stillaguamish” for the school, along with a mural of a dairy scene.
Although the murals were restored in 1979, their fate remains uncertain, as the site of the former high school is currently not being used.
According to staff at the Arlington Library, “The building is still standing at 135 S. French Ave. and is currently occupied by Kids Kloset. Before that, it was also previously used by Highland Christian School and the Arlington Boys & Girls Club.”
Source notes
"Washington Education Journal", February 1940
Correspondence with Arlington Library
Site originally submitted by Leslie Correll on October 2, 2016.
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