A NEW DEAL FOR THE ARTS: THE FEDERAL ART PROJECT ERA 1933-1943

SPECIAL TOUR & FILM SCREENING PRESENTED BY THE NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY & THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF NEW CANAAN

Tuesday, February 26, 10 am—12 pm
13 Oenoke Ridge Road

Free for LWVNC members
$5 for guests
*Snow Date Thursday, February 28, 10 am-12 pm

For more information & to make reservations, email Nancy Geary or call (203) 966-1776, EXT. 2

ABOUT THE TOUR & FILM:
Look closely and you’ll see that several of New Canaan’s public spaces feature art created through a historic partnership between local artists and government.

During the Depression of the 1930s, New Canaan experienced general, widespread unemployment, and the town accepted relief from various agencies set up under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Funds for artists came from both the Public Works Art Project and the Works Progress Administration. Through these programs, art was commissioned for New Canaan’s public places, including Town Hall and the public schools. This period marks the first time in our history when the U.S. government subsidized artists.

On our tour we will learn about the artists whose work graces our public spaces, as well as explore the impact the New Deal had on the development of American art (including the growth of abstraction), the role of government in supporting the arts, and the socio-economic implications of this artwork.
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A documentary film focusing on the New Canaan residents who rescued and restored this art will be screened following our tour.