A New Deal for Artists 

     In 1933 the artist George Biddle, a college chum of President Roosevelt, believed that the Federal government could generate widespread growth and interest in public art.  In particular, Biddle was moved by the Mexican government's sponsorship of public murals in the 1920s that conveyed the ideas of the Mexican revolution.  The Mexican Muralism Movement, led by Diego Rivera, promoted pride and nationalism in a country that had gone through a decade of revolution (1910 - 1920), resulting in the end of dictatorial rule and the creation of a constitutional republic.  

     The expressive and vivid murals in public spaces made art accessible to the entirety of Mexican society.  The murals restored the medium to a respected art form, one ripe for social and political messaging.  Most importantly, the murals educated and informed the Mexican people while addressing the pressing issues of cultural identity, politics, oppression, resistance, poverty, hope, and progress. 

     On May 9, 1933, Biddle wrote to President Roosevelt about establishing a similar American mural program to reflect the social revolution of The New Deal.  His correspondence included the following declaration:  

"The Mexican artists have produced the greatest national school of mural painting since the Italian Renaissance. . . . The younger artists of America are conscious as they have never been of the social revolution that our country and civilization are going through."

     Unfortunately for Biddle, his idea ran into trouble after Roosevelt forwarded it to the National Commission of Fine Arts, the highest authority on: 1) the design and location of buildings in Washington, D.C.,  and 2) the selection of public monuments, statues, fountains, etc., funded by the Federal government.  The Commission favored classical architecture and themes for its projects as opposed to works by "mediocre easel painters."  Biddle then joined forces with Edward Bruce, a Treasury Department official, who was an expert on monetary policy as well as an accomplished artist.  

     In November 1933, Bruce, in his capacity as Acting Secretary for the newly-formed Advisory Committee to the Treasury on Fine Arts, presented a proposal for a government funded art program.  Frederick A Delano, President Roosevelt's uncle, chaired the committee that also included Harry Hopkins, Roosevelt's top lieutenant for the rollout of New Deal programs.  Over the next few weeks, Bruce convened meetings in Washington, D.C. with high-ranking government officials, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, to lobby for the federal art program. 

     In December 1933, Hopkins agreed to allocate $1,039,000 from the budget of the newly created Civil Works Administration (CWA) to the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) for artists' relief.  Edward Bruce served as the Administrator for the PWAP in Washington, D.C., with Forbes Watson serving as the Technical Director.  Because the CWA had divided the country into 16 regions, the PWAP adopted the same regional structure.  Each region had a Regional Administrator.  A volunteer committee composed of museum curators, painters, and art aficionados directed the art programs.  Bruce and Watson provided the regions with instruction that the artwork should be limited to the "American Scene" as a means to avoid unconventional or provocative public art.

    In his book, Federal Support for the Visual Arts:  The New Deal and Now (New York Graphic Society, Ltd. 1971), Francis V. O'Connor summarized the somewhat paradoxical aim of the PWAP :

"The primary aim of the PWAP was to furnish work for unemployed artists in the decoration of non-Federal public buildings and parks. . . . While the primary purpose of the project was to give employment to needy artists, a dual standard was set up in the selection of those employed:  first, the artist had actually to be in need of employment , and, second, he had to be qualified to produce work which constitute a genuine embellishment of public property.  This dual standard, of course, raised the question of whether PWAP was to be administered as a relief project to help the artist, or as an art project to acquire works of art for the government." 

     Because the CWA was a general employment program, rather than part of the Federal relief administration, the PWAP hired the most talented unemployed artists--as opposed to the most needy artists--to create works of art for public buildings and parks.  This hiring approach would be highly scrutinized and criticized; future legislation for public art programs would stipulate the hiring of a specific percentage of artists from public relief rolls.

     From its inception on December 8, 1933, to its conclusion on June 30, 1934, the PWAP expended $1,312,178; artists received weekly wages of $26.50 to $42.50 as determined by CWA pay scales for skilled craftsmen.  It employed 3,749 artists, and created 15,663 pieces of artwork and craft in a multitude of media, including oils, watercolors, prints, etching, mural and mural sketches, carvings, and sculptures.  The subjects of the artwork--the "American Scene"--reflected an extensive range of styles:  landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, works scenes, and historical scenes.  The majority of the work was placed in tax-supported buildings, schools, hospitals, and museums.  

     Notable artists employed by the PWAP included Victor Arnautoff, Peter Blume, Bernarda Bryson, Paul Cadmus, Burgoyne Diller, Frank Mechau, Herman Maril, and Grant Wood.