Post Office Mural – Shelton WA

Description

This tempera mural “Skid Row” by Richard Haines was a winner of the Treasury Section’s 48-State Post Office Mural Competition.

“When Section officials in Washington, D.C., chose Minneapolis artist Richard Haines to paint a mural for the new post office in Shelton, Washington, the local community openly complained about the selection. Haines tried to make the best of the situation and his logging-themed, egg tempera mural, “The Skid Road,” was actually the only one in the state completed on site. “Whenever possible,” he commented, “I feel painting of the murals on the spot should be encouraged. It is an enlightening experience both for the artist and the community.” ((Judith G. Keyser, The New Deal Murals in Washington State: Communication and Popular Democracy, Thesis (M.A.)–University of Washington, 1982), 70.”

(depts.washington.edu)