Post Office (former) Mural – McDonough GA

Description

“A Henry County treasure that many people in our community have never seen, ‘Cotton Gin’ was created by modernist artist Louis Henri Jean Charlot (1898-1979) in the early forties as part of the recovery process after the Great Depression. Located in McDonough’s historic post office (Polk Annex), the mural is one of 200,000 government commissioned works which were funded under the ‘Federal Art Project’ (FAP) during the Great Depression era. The FAP’s primary goals were to employ out-of-work artists and to provide art for non-federal government buildings. The initiative operated from August 29, 1935, until June 30, 1943. FAP artists created posters, murals, and paintings, with some works remaining among the most significant pieces of public art in the country.

“In 1941 Artist Jean Charlot, was artist-in-resident at the University of Georgia in Athens when he was selected to create a piece of work for the Post Office in McDonough, Georgia. The ‘Cotton Gin”’ has graced the wall of the Polk Building since it was installed in 1942. Viewing this unique piece of art in the now unused Polk Annex is a rare opportunity offered by Henry County Government and the City of McDonough.”

(www.mcdonoughga.org)