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ABSTRACT
The Federal Arts Project (WPA-FAP) (1935–1943) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a federally funded program designed through Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal to keep visual artists at work during the Great Depression. Many of these arts programs took place through museums and exhibitions, bringing the visual arts to everyday Americans with public programs and outreach. The continued legacy of these community-driven, education-centered approaches is evident in today's museums through outreach initiatives, studio programs, and responsive community programs that seek to bring visual arts experiences to the public. This article will discuss key WPA-FAP museum programs and policies, and relate these objectives to current practice in museum education.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
About the authors
Carissa DiCindio is Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture Education, University of Arizona with a focus on art museum education. Prior to this position, she was the Curator of Education at the Georgia Museum of Art. She began in the field of museum education in 2003. She holds an M.A. in art history and a Ph.D. in art education from the University of Georgia.
Callan Steinmann is Curator of Education at the Georgia Museum of Art, where she has worked as a museum educator since 2013. She holds an M.A. in art education with a focus in museum education from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in art education from the University of Georgia. She teaches courses in aesthetic education, museum education, and museum studies at UGA.
Notes
1 Schwarzer, Riches, Rivals, and Radicals, 130–41.
2 Adam, The Civic Value of Museums. See also, Zeller, “The Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Museum Education,” 39.
3 Rice, “Balancing Act,” 13.
4 Rea, The Museum and the Community. See also, Rice, “Balancing Act,” 13, and Zeller, “The Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Museum Education,” 38.
5 See note 3 above.
6 Burnham and Kai-Kee, Teaching in the Art Museum, 28.
7 Ibid., 27.
8 Hein, Progressive Museum Practice, 11.
9 Ibid., See pages 21–38 for a discussion on Dewey's philosophy.
10 Ibid., 76. See also, Russo, “The Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project Reconsidered,” 19.
11 Grieve, The Federal Art Project and the Creation of Middlebrow Culture, 94–5.
12 Mathews, “Arts and the People,” 320.
13 Ibid., 319.
14 Harris, Federal Art and National Culture, 36–40.
15 Grieve, The Federal Art Project, 86.
16 O’Connor, “Introduction,” 17.
17 Jeffers, “Holger Calhill and American Art,” 9.
18 Jeffers, “Holger Calhill and American Art,” 5–8. See also, Taylor, American-made, 272–3.
19 Russo, “The Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project Reconsidered,” 20–1.
20 Harris, Federal Art and National Culture, 28–36.
21 McDonald, Federal Relief Administration and the Arts, 385.
22 Russo, “The Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project Reconsidered,” 21.
23 Funk, “Education in the Federal Art Project,” 92.
24 Cahill, “Forward: American Resources in the Arts,” 43.
25 Funk, “Education in the Federal Art Project,” 92–3.
26 Kornfeld, “The Educational Program of the Federal Art Project,” 101.
27 Funk, “Education in the Federal Art Project,” 93.
28 Ibid., 89–90. See also, McDonald, Federal Relief Administration and the Arts, 423.
29 Works Progress Administration, “Federal Sponsored Community Programs,” 11, as discussed in Kornfeld, “The Educational Program of the Federal Art Project,” 96.
30 Ibid., 94.
31 Ibid.
32 Hayes, “The Negro Artist Today,” 212.
33 Calo, Distinction and Denial, 103.
34 Bennett, “The Harlem Community Art Center,” 214.
35 Taylor, “Suspension of the WPA Museum Project,” 165.
36 Lundins, “Art Comes to the People,” 232–3. See also, Lampert, A People's Art History of the United States, 151.
37 Lundins, “Art Comes to the People,” 233. See also, Lampert, A People's Art History of the United States, 152, 326. As Lampert points out, Lundins’ essay is part of a collection of essays by artists and facilitators employed through the WPA written to retain Congress’ support of government funding. As such, the authors may have been overly positive in their assessments of the program.
38 Langa, Radical Art, 42. See also, Lampert, A People's Art History of the United States, 152.
39 Findlay and Findlay, WPA Museum Extension Project 1935–1943, 22.
40 See note 3 above.
41 Youtz, “The Sixty-Ninth Street Branch of the Pennsylvania Museum of Art,” 5–8. See also, McClellan, “A Brief History of the Art Museum Public,” 24 and Zeller, “The Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Museum Education,” 69.
42 Youtz, “Museums Among Public Services,” 70.
43 Rowson Love and Villeneuve, “Edu-Curation and the Edu-Curator,” 17.
44 Ibid.
45 Lampert, A People's Art History of the United States, 148.
46 Cahill, “Forward: American Resources in the Arts,” 35.
47 Taylor, American-made, 280.
48 See note 23 above.
49 McKinzie, The New Deal for Artists, 176.
50 Mathews, “Arts and the People,” 333.
51 Manoguerra, 100 American Paintings, 13.
52 Ibid., 16–17.
53 See note 22 above.
54 Nolan, “History Repeats Itself,” 118.
55 See note 42 above.
56 Roosevelt, “Only Where Men Are Free Can the Arts Flourish and the Civilization of National Culture Reach Full Flower,” 336.
57 Hirzy, Mastering Civic Engagement. Founded in 1906, the American Alliance of Museums was known as the American Association of Museums until 2012.
58 Long, “Practicing Civic Engagement,” 143.
59 Brooklyn Museum of Art, “Brooklyn Museum Draws Record-Breaking Attendance at a Target First Saturday.”
60 Simon, The Art of Relevance, 99.
61 Ibid., 95.
62 Pegno and Farrar, “Multivocal, Collaborative Practices,” 169.
63 Weil, “From Being about Something to Being for Somebody,” 229–58.
64 Anderson, Reinventing the Museum.
65 Studio Museum in Harlem, “Artist-in-Residence.”
66 MASS MoCA, “The Studios at MASS MoCA.”
67 Hammer Museum, “Artist Residencies.”
68 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, “Artists-in-Residence.”
69 Metropolitan Museum of Art, “The Met Launches a New Immersive Program.”
70 Madsen, “Residencies in Museums.”
71 Vogel, “From Show and Look to Show and Teach.”
72 Costantino, “Articulating Understanding Through Art Making,” 1–26.
73 Cincinnati Art Museum, “Art Making Experiences.”
74 Genshaft, “Explore New Artmaking Activities at the Denver Art Museum.”
75 Whitney Museum of American Art, “Art-making.”
76 MoMA, “Online Courses.”
77 Casco, “Trump's 2020 Budget.”
78 Smith, Building New Deal Liberalism, 87.
79 Digital History, “Jobs Programs.”
80 Americans for the Arts, “Statement on the President's FY19 Budget Proposal.”
81 National Endowment for the Arts, “Museums Fact Sheet.”
82 Weil, Making Museums Matter, 213.
83 Cahill, “Forward: American Resources in the Arts,” 43–4.