- City:
- Honolulu, HI
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Murals
- New Deal Agencies:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA), Work Relief Programs
- Completed:
- 1938
- Artist:
- Juliette May Fraser
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
According to the book Hawai’i Chronicles II: Contemporary Island History from the Pages of Honolulu Magazine, Juliette May Fraser “was one of four Island artists commissioned to work on WPA art projects for public places. It was during this time that she created a roomful of murals of Hawaiian legends for the Hawaii State Library downtown…When the meager federal funds for the project ran out after three months, she continued to work on the murals for another three months to complete them, working without compensation and even paying for her materials out of her own pocket.”
The murals are still on display in the Edna Allyn Room.
Source notes
Bob Dye, ed., Hawai'i Chronicles II: Contemporary Island History from the Pages of Honolulu Magazine, University of Hawaii Press, December 1997, p. 100.Site originally submitted by Brent McKee on August 24, 2016.
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A. Nakasone
When I was a child, I used to frequent the Hawaii State Library during 1970; s -1990. There was a librarian there, named Sarah Preble who was also an art historian. Together with her husband, Professor Emiretus of Art – Dr. Duane Preble wrote the Art Forms book still utilized in many undergraduate art theory courses today.
Ms. Preble was the one who informed me of the WPA art in the childrens room– this was back in early 1990’s. She is still alive, should people need scholarly reference info.
I was disheartened to see in November 2018 on a recent visit to Hawaii that parts of the mural were painted over in grey blocks, as if to add decorative patterns. The staff did not know about the history of the WPA projects and shrugged when I expressed my dismay. I am afraid without the knowledge or appreciation this mural will fade away or be entirely painted over.