• Friendly Plaza Rock Wall and Courtyard - Monterey CA
    Friendly Plaza is a small park in front of historic Colton Hall and the city hall of Monterey, California.  The brick courtyard of Friendly Plaza was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project (Owens et al., 2004, p. 139).  The decorative stone wall around the plaza was probably also by the WPA, although Dennis Copeland, archivist and historian for the City of Monterey in the early 2000s, claimed that it was partly funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA).   Given the common confusion between PWA and WPA, both then and now, our guess is that both projects were undertaken by the WPA...
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium Mural - Monterey CA
    This 9' x 14'3" oil on canvas mural "Net Menders" by Jim Fitzgerald was painted with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project. It was originally installed at North High School. It now hangs on the wall behind the bar in the Portola Restaurant inside the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
  • Monterey County Fairgrounds - Monterey CA
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed the Monterey County Fairgrounds in 1939-40, building exhibit halls, barns, a racetrack and more. There is a WPA plaque on the grounds. (Note: in the second phase of the WPA's life, it was called the Works Projects Administration and was placed under the new Federal Works Administration) "Covering 22 acres, the Monterey county fairgrounds is the site of the annual county fair, as well as other events large and small which throughout the year. There are two arenas, livestock barns, and several exhibit halls. Probably only a handful of the millions of people who...
  • Monterey High School Mural - Monterey CA
    Gus Gay painted this mural for the Federal Art Project, part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).  Gay was one of what Nancy Boas calls "the California Colorists" of the era. Nancy Boas notes that, "His mural for Monterey High School uses his characteristic late palette, strong on deep cerulean blue and chalky reds and pinks. The solid forms and simple architectural backgrounds reveal Gay's clarity of design." There may be two other murals in the high school whose provenance is also New Deal. More information is needed on those.
  • Post Office Mural (former) - Monterey CA
    Henrietta Shore painted a mural, "Monterey Bay," for the Monterey Post Office in 1937, with support from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.  Unfortunately, Shore's mural has disappeared and its whereabouts are unknown to us.
  • Post Office Tile Murals - Monterey CA
    Two glazed ceramic tile murals grace the front porch of the Monterey, California main post office.  Both were created by Stanton Willard in 1933.  The murals are titled,  "Raising the Flag at Monterey by the Forces of Commander Sloat, July 7, 1846" and "The landing of Sebastian Viscaino at Monterey, December 16, 1602".   The murals are very large, 4' x 6' and 4' x 8'. The stand at opposite ends of the recessed front porch. They were likely commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Art, but they might have been done under the Treasury Relief Art Project in 1933-34. 
  • Public Library Wood Carvings - Monterey CA
    Two beautiful bas-relief wood carvings by Remo Scardigli hang in the Monterey Public Library.  The were originally in the old library, then moved to the new one when the old building was replaced. The 2.5' x 8' oak wood carving, "Monterey Fisherman" and the 33 x 23 inch wood relief "Artichoke Pickers" both hang on the main floor near the main desk. The exact date of the carvings is not known to us.