During The Great Depression, the WPA did more than build parks, bridges and campgrounds

By Morf Morford
Tacoma Daily Index

Most Americans have a completely split personality when it comes to art. Art programs are usually the first to be cut in public schools, irate voices tend to be raised when public art is unveiled and yet art tends to be what  we, and virtually every civilization, tends to be most proud of, and our art, for better or worse, is often the defining – and most enduring feature – that any culture leaves behind.

Tastes and purposes of art change continually. And when they do, art that was once prominent or valued becomes abandoned or discarded.

Who defines art, and who decides who has access to it are constant questions of artists, curators and those of us who appreciate art.

Should art be public, free and experiential or should art be polished, elite and professionally archived, protected and monitored by experts who know (or at least act as if they know) far more than we do about the intricacies and nuances of true art?

I would hope that any community would have room (and tolerance) for both schools of thought when it comes to art.

Tacoma obviously does, and the current exhibit at TAM – Forgotten Stories: Northwest Public Art of the 1930s is a reminder of what art at its best, and possibly even its most practical, can be.

Don’t expect “masterpieces” here – or even the seminal works by recognized artists. In fact many of the works here are the first public works by those who only  many years later would be recognized as artists.

Many of these works are not done by artists – much of the visible work is done by craftsmen, many of whom ventured into new areas of expression primarily just for the work.

These were the Depression years after all, and workers followed the money.

The art you will see in this exhibit is Northwest based – which means it is art created in and around, or inspired by events, projects or communities in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

More than 600 artists created thousands of artworks on a wide range of media, scales and subjects.

During the Great Depression, the president at the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his administration launched a number of programs designed to put the millions of Americans who were unemployed back to work  to help restore the economy.

Besides those who constructed highways, bridges and campground at state parks, the WPA hired artists, writers and even songwriters to chronicle the challenges and accomplishments of average people in a difficult time.

Artists who worked for the federal art programs and projects created artwork to be displayed at public institutions such as schools, universities, post offices, and hospitals and government buildings of all kinds. The government also established community art centers which offered free classes, art-making opportunities and traveling exhibitions.

Much of the art work created in those years was lost, neglected or thrown away – but a surprising amount of it is still on display at the original site of installation.

A self-guided map for a driving tour of local facilities with art installed and on public view will be available at TAM.

TAM will be publishing an accompanying catalog New Deal Art in the Northwest: The WPA and Beyond, the first comprehensive survey of the federal art projects in the Pacific Northwest.

The exhibition opened February 22 and will be available to experience until August 16, 2020.