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America at Work: WPA Prints
from the Gibbes Collection
August 25, 2006 - April 15, 2007
America at Work:
WPA Prints from the Gibbes Collection, on view
at the Gibbes Museum of Art August 25, 2006 - April 15, 2007, represents
the initiative of the Depression-era U.S. government to revitalize the nation
through the visual arts and art education. This exhibition showcases approximately
25 prints from the Gibbes' permanent collection that were created under
the auspices of the Federal Art project, an initiative that provided employment
for out-of work artists and created artwork for such public buildings as
county courthouses, post offices and libraries.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt launched his ambitious Works Progress Administration (WPA)
programs that sent millions of unemployed Americans back to work, including
more than 5,000 artists. Under the auspices of the WPA, the Federal Art
Project afforded opportunities to a diverse group of artists, including
women, African-Americans and immigrants from Russia, China and other countries.
Reputed to have created more than 200,000 separate works, FAP artists created
posters, murals and paintings-some of which stand among the most significant
pieces of public art in the country. The Gibbes Museum of Art houses the
only collection of WPA prints in South Carolina. In 2004 the Gibbes was
able to catalogue the collection through the generous support of Reba and
Dave Williams, who funded the project through a grant from the Print Research
Foundation, Stamford, Connecticut.
The Gibbes Museum of Art thanks the Charleston Mercury,
the exclusive sponsor of America at Work: WPA Prints from the Gibbes
Collection. Now in its fourth year of being in print, the Charleston
Mercury impacts 40,000 affluent readers every two weeks.
Text panel from the exhibition gallery
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt launched his ambitious Works Progress Administration (WPA)
programs that sent millions of unemployed Americans back to work, including
more than 5,000 artists. Under the auspices of the WPA, the Federal Art
Project (FAP) afforded opportunities to a diverse group of artists, including
women, African Americans, and immigrants from Russia, China and other foreign
countries. America at Work features prints from the Gibbes permanent
collection created by WPA artists from 1936 to 1943.
The Federal Art Project focused on the areas of art production,
art education and art research and was divided into the Mural, Easel and
Graphic Arts Divisions. Artists applied to the program and were required
to meet criteria of financial need and artistic ability. Those assigned
to the Graphic Arts Division created over 200,000 prints for public buildings
such as county courthouses, post offices and libraries. The printmaking
workshops brought together artists of various backgrounds and fostered professional
growth through collaboration and experimentation with new printmaking techniques.
The Gibbes is fortunate to house the only collection of
WPA prints in South Carolina. The initial allocation of 114 objects was
received in 1943 from the Federal Government. Little else is known about
the circumstances of the allocation. At the time Robert N. S. Whitelaw was
the director of the Gibbes. He likely became familiar with WPA programs
when Charleston's Dock Street Theater was reconstructed with WPA funds between
1935 and 1937. In 1937, the Gibbes hosted an exhibition of WPA artists'
photographs, and in 1938 the Museum's parent organization, the Carolina
Art Association, assumed custody of the Dock Street Theater.
The Gibbes was able to research and catalogue the WPA print
collection in 2004 through the generous support of Reba and Dave Williams,
who funded the project through a grant from the Print Research Foundation,
Stamford, Connecticut.
Object labels from the exhibition
- Harlem River, ca. 1935
- By Ann Nooney (American, 1900 - 1970)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.74
-
- Buried Treasure, 1939
- By Mabel Dwight (American, 1876 - 1955)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.72
-
- Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dwight spent her childhood
in New Orleans and San Francisco. In San Francisco, she received her formal
art training at the Hopkins School of Fine Art. In 1927 Dwight traveled
to Paris where she discovered lithography. Though trained as a painter,
she focused on printmaking for the remainder of her career. Dwight is best
known for softly-rendered lithographs that capture the comedy and tragedy
of the human condition. She worked for the Federal Art Project of the WPA
from 1935 to 1939 and created numerous prints, such as Buried Treasure,
that reflect her concern for social issues during the Great Depression.
-
- Election Night, ca. 1935
- 1937
- By Minnie Lois Murphy (American, 1901 - 1962)
- Wood-block print on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.17
-
- The New Cabin, 15/35, 1937
- By Marie Bleck
- Linoleum print on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.49
-
- Abstraction #208, 1941
- By Myron Kozman (American, 1916 - 2002)
- Screenprint on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.70
-
- With a stable source of income provided by the federal
government, many WPA artists felt free to experiment creatively. In addition
to abstract prints, Kozman created several abstract paintings for public
spaces in the Chicago area while working for the WPA.
-
- Composition, 1940
- By Cleo Van Buskirk
- Screenprint on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.75
-
- The WPA workshops gave artists access to expensive printmaking
equipment, which allowed experimentation with new printmaking techniques.
WPA artists are credited with a number of technical innovations including
the invention of carborundum etching and advances in color lithography
and screenprinting.
-
- Unemployed Worker, 1937
- By Kalman M. B. Kubinyi (American, 1906 - 1973)
- Etching on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.32
-
- Raised in Cleveland, Ohio's Hungarian community, Kubinyi
developed an interest in art at a young age. As a child he took classes
from William Zorach (1887 - 1966) and later attended the Cleveland School
of Art, graduating in 1926. In 1930 Kubinyi established the Cleveland Print
Makers and served as president of the organization until 1941. When the
Cleveland WPA Project was established, Kubinyi was named the head of the
Graphics Division and later served as district supervisor of the entire
Cleveland WPA Project. In this role he was able to share his printmaking
expertise and influence a younger generation of artists.
-
- Two on a Bench, 1939
- By Eli Jacobi (American, 1898 - 1984)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.19
-
- Born in Russia in 1898, Jacobi came to the United States
in 1920 and settled in New York City. He studied at the National Academy
and the Art Students League and by 1926 enjoyed a successful career as
a magazine and book illustrator.
-
- Two on a Bench documents
the difficult times experienced by many during the Depression, including
Jacobi, who was forced to live on the street in New York City. Relief came
in 1935 when Jacobi was hired by the WPA/FAP and worked in the Graphic
Arts Division until 1939.
-
- Steve the Musician, ca. 1935
- By Saul Rabino (American, 1892 - 1969)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.89
-
- Recitation, ca. 1935
- By Raphael Soyer (American, 1899 - 1987)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.112
-
- Soyer was born in Russia and immigrated to the United
States with his family in 1912. They settled in Brooklyn and Soyer studied
at Cooper Union, the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League.
During the Depression, he created poignant images of the unemployed and
working class citizens in New York. Soyer had a long and successful career
as a realist painter and was given a retrospective at the Whitney Museum
of American Art in 1967.
-
- Roof and Street, 1938
- By Louis Lozowick (American, 1891 - 1973)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.103
-
- Born in Russia in 1892, Lozowick and his family moved
to New York in 1906. He studied at the National Academy of Design and graduated
Phi Beta Kappa from the Ohio State University. From 1919 to 1924 Lozowick
lived in Europe, spending most of his time in Paris, Berlin and Moscow.
During this period he associated with Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895 - 1946),
El Lissitzky (1890 - 1941) and other avant-garde Russian artists. Upon
returning to New York in 1924, Lozowick explored the urban landscape through
the creation of numerous lithographs. His interest in machinery and industry
is evident in works such as Roof and Street. For the WPA Lozowick
created prints and murals, including a mural for the New York City General
Post Office.
-
- Southbound, 16/35, 1935
- By Gerardo Belfiore (American, b. 1914)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.01
-
- Old Swede's Church, 1940
- By Claude Clark (American, 1915 - 2001)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.08
-
- From 1939 to 1942 Clark worked for the WPA Graphic Arts
Division in Philadelphia. As a young African-American artist, the WPA provided
opportunities that previously had not been available to Clark. At the Philadelphia
workshop he was free to explore creative styles, experiment with new printmaking
techniques and work collaboratively with other artists, including innovative
African-American printmakers Samuel Brown (1907 - 1994), Raymond Steth
(1916 - 1997) and Dox Thrash (1892 - 1965), from whom Clark learned the
carborundum print process.
-
- Saw Mill, 1937
- By Chee Chin (American, 1896 - 1966)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.102
-
- Fish Cove
- By David P. Chun (American, 1898 - 1989)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.81
-
- The Farmer, ca. 1937
- By Nicholas Panesis (American, 1913 - 1967)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.90
-
- Farm Scene #1, ca. 1935
- By J. Somers
- Wood-block print on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.53
-
- New Hampshire Auction, 1935
- By Blendon Reed Campbell (American, 1872 - 1969)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.113
-
- As noted by the stamp in the lower left corner, this
lithograph was created in the New York City workshop of the WPA/FAP Graphic
Arts Division. The first of many workshops established by the WPA, the
New York City facility was the largest and best-equipped in the nation
and produced over 75,000 prints.
-
- Sea Nets, 1938
- By Raymond White Skolfield (American, 1909 - 1996)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.61
-
- Along the Calumet, 37/50,
ca. 1937
- By Howard Brown
- Etching on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.80
-
- Mountain Pines, ca. 1935
- By Charles Reed Gardner (American, 1901 - 1974)
- Wood-block print on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.04
-
- Planting Potatoes
- By Mac (Emanuel) Raboy (American, 1914 - 1967)
- Wood engraving on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.15
-
- Raboy began his career as a printmaker working for the
WPA. He became a successful cartoonist, best-known for his work on the
comic books Captain Marvel, Jr. and Green Lama and the weekly
comic strip Flash Gordon, which he illustrated from 1948 until his
death in 1967.
-
- Railroad Brigde, ca. 1937
- By Edward Jansen
- Wood-block print on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.47
-
- The Repair Man, ca. 1935
- By Leonard Pytlak (American, 1910 - 1998)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.62
-
- Pytlak was born in Newark, New Jersey and received formal
training at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art and the Art Students
League. He was employed by the WPA at the New York City workshop, where
he learned the silkscreen (also called serigraph) medium. Pytlak was a
founding member of the National Serigraph Society and was awarded a Guggenheim
Fellowship in 1941.
-
- River Workers, 1938
- By Carlos Anderson (American, 1905 - 1978)
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the WPA
- 1943.06.104
-
- A native of Utah, Anderson's involvement with the WPA
included a government commission for a twenty-four part series of paintings
and drawings of historically significant buildings in Utah. Under the auspices
of the WPA, Anderson also taught art classes at the Utah Arts Center. In
the late 1930s he moved to New York City and continued his involvement
with the WPA at the city's Graphic Arts workshop, where he created lithographs
such as River Workers.
(above: Minnie Lois Murphy (American, 1901 - 1962), Election
Night, ca. 1935 - 1937, Wood-block print on paper. Gift of the WPA.
1943.06.17)
(above: Edward Jansen, Railroad Bridge, Wood-block
print on paper. Gift of the WPA. 1943.06.47)
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