WPA: Lessons on Design & Government

What the digging of ditches has to do with design history and the recession.

Today marks the 75th anniversary of Works Progress Administration — a controversial New Deal government agency created by President Roosevelt in 1935 as an answer to the Great Depression. Though considered by some near-communist in nature, the WPA generated a staggering number of public artifacts and initiatives in its eight-year run — roads, buildings, parks, bridges, libraries, schools, housing programs, food redistribution efforts. Investing nearly $7 billion in these projects and providing some 8 million jobs, the WPA became the largest employer in the country, offering the most competitive hourly wages within its areas of employment. Among its claims to fame are iconic landmarks like the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, the great mural at West Point military academy, Maryland’s Camp David, and New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

But one of the greatest contributions the project made to contemporary culture comes from its visual heritage. The WPA funded the Federal Arts Program — a large arts, drama, and media project that had two central goals: To create artwork for non-federal public buildings, and to provide jobs for unemployed artists. And it did both — it employed thousands of artists, actors and musicians, which resulted in 17,744 sculptures, 108,099 easel paintings, 2,566 murals and 240,000 prints.

These artworks were incredibly influential in shaping the visual language of that era and eras to come. We are particularly taken with the remarkably rich WPA silkscreen, lithograph, and woodcut posters designed to promote anything from public health and safety programs to art exhibitions to travel and tourism.

Today, only 2,000 of these posters remain in existence and the Library of Congress has the largest singular collection, featuring about 900 of them. We’ve uncovered this fantastic Flick set, a digital archive of 324 of these brilliant artworks, brimming with the bold typography, vibrant color palettes and rich art direction of mid-century aesthetic sensibility.

While we are all for liberalizing, democratizing and de-institutionalizing the arts, we have to wonder whether a centralized effort to employ artists and creators in the economic recovery process may have some merit, if only for the sake of fostering widespread visual literacy and establishing the aesthetic legacy of the era. We just wish the political powers of the day would consider investing in such art-driven efforts the way the WPA did. What would $7 billion be, adjusted for inflation? Roughly $160 billion. And how does that compare to what today’s government is investing in war? As the kids say, just sayin’.

Administer some progress into our own work with a small donation. It lets us know we’re doing something right and helps pay the bills.

Vintage Design: Innovation Lessons from the Past Bleeding-edge art direction, what Obama's agricultural policy has to do with vintage graphic design, and why 2009 is exactly like 1939 – what the visual history of the Chicago Tribune has to teach us about modern graphic design....
The Genius of Design: A BBC Design Retrospective New five-part documentary series exploring the broader history of design, from the Industrial Revolution through the Bauhaus of the 1920's, the swinging 60's, the fetishism of the 80's, to today....
Design-Off: Top 3 Live Design Competitions Cardboard monsters, digital marathons, and why design is just like tennis....
5:1 Student Design Show LCC's School of Graphic Design showcases outstanding work by the program's 200 graduates....
Best of Election Season Innovation Private confessions, citizen voyeurism, a shot at redemption, why it pays to have famous friends, and how graphic design changed politics forever....

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 6:30 am in art, culture, design, politics and was tagged art, culture, design, history, politics.

? On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its design legacy and political heritage http://su.pr/1Bznh4

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

brainpicker on April 8th, 2010 at 6:47 am

RT @brainpicker: ? On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its design legacy and political heritage http://su.pr/1Bznh4

msstewart on April 8th, 2010 at 6:48 am

msatcary on April 8th, 2010 at 6:48 am

boyreporter on April 8th, 2010 at 6:49 am

Let’s do it again! MT: @brainpicker
A look at the WPA’s design legacy and political heritage on its 75th anniversary http://su.pr/1Bznh4

sassysundry on April 8th, 2010 at 6:50 am

A bit about designs for the WPA (Works Progress Administration) which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. http://tinyurl.com/y9dhbs8

El_Ave_Sin_Nido on April 8th, 2010 at 6:51 am

TMODOM on April 7th, 2010 at 11:52 pm

RT @brainpicker On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its design legacy and political heritage http://su.pr/1Bznh4

LFreshwater on April 8th, 2010 at 6:56 am

On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its design legacy and political heritage | http://bit.ly/9jpUhD (via @brainpicker)

dapperalchemist on April 7th, 2010 at 11:59 pm

A nod to my late cousin, sculptor Chaim Gross – on the 75th anniversary of the WPA http://su.pr/1Bznh4 (via @brainpicker)

jlamontagne on April 8th, 2010 at 12:01 am

1000s in design/const empl thru depression. Why no WPA now? RT @brainpicker: 75th anniv of WPA: a look at design legacy http://su.pr/1Bznh4

dbsaia on April 8th, 2010 at 12:07 am

WPA: Lessons on Design & Government | Brain Pickings: ? On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its d… http://bit.ly/aXcZyP #Design

justincron on April 8th, 2010 at 12:14 am

ArtCareServices on April 8th, 2010 at 12:34 am

Look at the beauty our fed dollars created before–fr brainpickings.org http://su.pr/16RLGY Why not again in this time of economic need?

abendelow on April 8th, 2010 at 1:18 am

On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its design legacy& political heritage. WPA: Lessons on Design & Governt http://bit.ly/9jpUhD

irenelson on April 8th, 2010 at 4:30 am

RT @irenelson: On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its design legacy& political heritage. http://bit.ly/9jpUhD

mwalkercom on April 8th, 2010 at 6:01 am

(If you missed it earlier) ? On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its design legacy and political heritage http://su.pr/1Bznh4

brainpicker on April 8th, 2010 at 6:30 am

RT @brainpicker: (If you missed it earlier) ? On the 75th anniversary of the WPA, a look at its design legacy and political heritage http://su.pr/1Bznh4

meg_e_martin on April 8th, 2010 at 1:32 pm

Related to today’s 75th anniversary of the WPA (http://is.gd/bks8k), a fantastic book of WPA posters http://is.gd/bkFDn

brainpicker on April 8th, 2010 at 3:36 pm

RT @brainpicker: Related to today’s 75th anniversary of the WPA (http://is.gd/bks8k), a fantastic book of WPA posters http://is.gd/bkFDn

Sparklehouse on April 8th, 2010 at 8:37 am

Fabulous @brainpicker find for 75th anniv of WPA (http://is.gd/bks8k) – govt + art! http://is.gd/bkFDn – subj of my MA thesis

kvox on April 8th, 2010 at 9:09 am

RT @brainpicker WPA: Lessons on Design & Government | Brain Pickings http://bit.ly/9WgqV1

athurkow on April 8th, 2010 at 11:54 am

75th anniversary of the WPA (http://is.gd/bks8k), a book of WPA posters http://is.gd/bkFDn

dblandy on April 8th, 2010 at 12:06 pm

I am part of a project in which we are bringing back the WPA, because the government hasn’t! After frustration with the bailouts and stimuli of 2009 that seemed to leave so many Americans feeling disconnected, we decided to bring the Work Projects Administration back ourselves!

We have started by opening two WPA offices – one in a rural hamlet, and one in an urban center – to do government recovery driven by the neighborhood itself.

For more info and to support the new WPA:
http://bit.ly/wpa-kickstarter

Christopher Robbins on April 9th, 2010 at 4:09 am

Lessons from 75 years ago, when the U.S. invested billions in arts http://tinyurl.com/y9dhbs8

MargoDrakos on April 9th, 2010 at 6:56 am

WPA’s 75th Anniversary: Lessons on Design & Government | Brain Pickings http://bit.ly/aPiYUv

gina_harrison on April 9th, 2010 at 1:09 am

WPA: Lessons from 75 years ago, when the U.S. invested billions in arts http://tinyurl.com/y9dhbs8

joeystocks on April 9th, 2010 at 2:42 am

Wonderful Kickstarter project to bring back the WPA http://is.gd/blUsB I’m a believer: http://is.gd/blUuA

brainpicker on April 9th, 2010 at 11:03 am

@brainpicker takes a good look at the artistic legacy left by the WPA of the New Deal Era: http://cultr.me/dctrA7

openculture on April 9th, 2010 at 4:17 am

Would a WPZ program work in today’s world for artists? http://bit.ly/bDsmOE

AmyCalhoun on April 9th, 2010 at 5:47 am

This is an interesting post, but your inflation adjustment is pretty aggressive. The bureau of labor statistics put the value of that $7 billion in 1935 at $111 billion today. Still a lot of money, but 30% below your estimate. What was your source?

James Bundy on April 9th, 2010 at 2:06 pm

@James:

Interesting, I too came up with a lower number using a government calculator, but then saw this number in the latest issue of Fast Company, so I figured they’d know better.

Cheers.