In 1935, the United States Congress began employing large numbers of American artists through the Works Progress Administration--fiction writers, photographers, poster artists, dramatists, painters, sculptors, muralists, wood carvers, composers and choreographers, as well as journalists, historians and researchers. Secretary of Commerce and supervisor of the WPA Harry Hopkins hailed it a "renascence of the arts, if we can call it a rebirth when it has no precedent in our history." Women were eminently involved, creating a wide variety of art and craft, interweaving their own stories with those of other women whose lives might not otherwise have received attention. This book surveys the thousands of women artists who worked for the U.S. government, the historical and social worlds they described and the collaborative depiction of womanhood they created at a pivotal moment in American history.

The book highlights the extensive role of women in the programs and operations of the New Deal under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was prepared for a two-day conference, "Women and the Spirit of the New Deal," held in Berkeley, California on October 5-6, 2018. The conference was jointly sponsored by The Living New Deal, The National New Deal Preservation Association and The Frances Perkins Center. The brief biographies of approximately 100 women include some individuals who were known to the public and remembered by historians, while others operated behind the scenes and have been virtually forgotten. Some were prominent during the period 1933-1945 while not formally linked to government programs. Most played significant roles in the numerous agencies, projects and programs of the federal government during a dozen years when the relationship between the government and American citizens was profoundly reshaped. The women include politicians, administrators, lawyers, social workers, authors, journalists, painters, sculptors, musicians and scientists. The book begins a process of identifying hundreds if not thousands of women whose roles during this eventful period were of consequence in contributing to the transformations that took place through the initiatives of the Roosevelt Administration. Our hope is that readers of this book will contribute the names and descriptions of additional women (including modifications and/or elaborations of the biographies contained herein) to the websites of the three sponsoring organizations where they will be available to students, scholars and interested citizens: The Living New Deal www.livingnewdeal.org The National New Deal Preservation Association www.newdeallegacy.org The Frances Perkins Center www.FrancesPerkinsCenter.org

Celebrates the 75th anniversary of the U.S. Public Works of Art Program, created in 1934 against the backdrop of the Great Depression. The 55 paintings in this volume are a lasting visual record of America at a specific moment in time; a response to an economic situation that is all too familiar

“Kirstin Downey’s lively, substantive and—dare I say—inspiring new biography of Perkins . . . not only illuminates Perkins’ career but also deepens the known contradictions of Roosevelt’s character.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air One of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s closest friends and the first female secretary of labor, Perkins capitalized on the president’s political savvy and popularity to enact most of the Depression-era programs that are today considered essential parts of the country’s social safety network.

As the people and economy of the United States struggled to recover during the Great Depression, 42 towns in North Carolina would benefit directly from the $83 million the federal government allocated for public art as part of the New Deal. The result was some of the state's most memorable murals, sculptures, reliefs, paintings, oils, and frescoes, most of which were installed in post offices and courthouses. This book is the only record of all of the North Carolina public art works under the program. It provides in-depth accounts of the works themselves and the artists who created them. Photographs of all of the buildings that originally received the art, the works themselves, and almost all of the 41 artists are provided. An appendix describes federal art projects, 1933-1943. There are detailed footnotes, an extensive bibliography, and an index.

Although ledger art has long been considered a male art form, Women and Ledger Art calls attention to the extraordinary achievements of four contemporary female Native artists—Sharron Ahtone Harjo (Kiowa), Colleen Cutschall (Oglala Lakota), Linda Haukaas (Sicangu Lakota), and Dolores Purdy Corcoran (Caddo). The book examines these women's interpretations of their artwork and their thoughts on tribal history and contemporary life.