Walt Clemensen (20th Century) American, Oil on Board Landscape. Depicts two hunters around a campfire with a nearby boat and mountains in the background. Signed and dated 1934 lower right, likely made as part of the Public Works of Art Project during the New Deal.
Overall Size: 7 1/2 x 14 3/4 in.
Sight Size: 6 x 13 1/8 in.
The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) was a New Deal work-relief program that employed professional artists to create sculptures, paintings, crafts and design for public buildings and parks during the Great Depression in the United States. The program operated from December 8th, 1933 to May 20th, 1934, administered by Edward Bruce under the United States Treasury Department, with funding from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Although the program lasted less than one year, it employed 3,749 artists, who produced 15,663 works of art. In an art exhibition that featured 451 paintings commissioned by the PWAP, 30% of the artists featured were in their twenties, and 25% were first-generation immigrants. The PWAP served as way to employ artists, while having competent representatives of the profession create work for display work in a public setting. According to material included in the PWAP show at the Museum of Modern Art, “The artists selected for the program were chosen on the basis of their artistic qualifications and their need of employment. The subject assigned to them was the American scene in all its phases.” This was the first time that the government had directly assisted artists in making their art, and the result was tremendous: a Golden Age of distinctly American art was born, influencing generations to come and directly contributing to the revitalization of arts communities around the country in countless cities. So successful was the Project that in 1935 the Federal Art Project was put into action by the Works Progress Administration, lasting until 1943. As many as 10,000 artists were employed to create murals, easel paintings, sculpture, graphic art, posters, photography, Index of American Design documentation, theater scenic design, and arts and crafts. Artists were paid $23.60 a week, and patrons and institutions who hired them paid only for materials. The Federal Art Project also operated community art centers throughout the country where artists worked and educated others. Proponents of Universal Basic Income have often pointed to the results of the WPA as a primary example for the positive social, economic, and cultural potential of providing permanent regular support for artistic vocations, as it allowed many thousands of job-seekers to contribute to American society in a significant way despite the difficult times.
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