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I think that tax payer money should have been spent on things like art and music during the Great Depression because it created jobs, strengthened community, and created public spaces that still benefit Americans today. According to the article, the Public Works of Art Project “hired 3,749 artists and produced 15,663 paintings, murals, prints, crafts and sculptures for government buildings around the country. This shows the profound impact government-funded art had on both employment and the enrichment of communities across America.

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The artwork that I chose was “Exploration and Setting of California” by Marion Simpson. I chose it because it depicts a missionary holding a cross while interacting with Native Americans, suggesting an attempt to spread Christianity. According to the article, “The only guidance the government offered about subject matter was that the ‘American scene’ would be a suitable topic,” showing that New Deal art was meant to reflect important aspects of American life, which this artwork does.

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I disagree with the idea that taxpayer money should not have been spent on art and music during the New Deal. Programs like the Works Progress Administration gave jobs to artists who were unemployed during the Great Depression, which helped them earn money and support their families. Even though food and infrastructure were very important, art also helped people stay hopeful during a hard time. Murals, music, and plays showed everyday American life and made public places like schools and libraries more meaningful to communities. Because of this, funding art helped both the economy and people’s morale.

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I chose Detail of “Library” because it shows how education and access to information were important parts of American life during the Great Depression and the New Deal era. In the mural, many people are reading books and newspapers in what appears to be a public library. This connects to the 1930s because during the Great Depression many Americans were unemployed or struggling financially, and public libraries became important places where people could learn new skills, research jobs, and stay informed about what was happening in the country. The New Deal created programs such as the Works Progress Administration that funded murals and public artwork, giving artists jobs while also improving public spaces. The newspapers in the painting suggest how people followed government recovery efforts led by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Overall, this artwork represents how Americans relied on education, community spaces, and shared information to stay hopeful during a very difficult economic time.

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The Great Depression was one of the most serious crises we had faced so it makes sense that most of the government money should go to urgent necessities like food, jobs, etc. People were struggling to survive so creating jobs was the top priority. However, allocating a little bit of money for art and music isn’t a terrible idea. The Great Depression had been going on for so long that many people had lost hope and happiness. Obviously there wasn’t a ton of them, but it created jobs for unemployed artists. Plus, it boosted everyone’s moods, something happy to look at or see in a very dark time. A little bit going to that isn’t a bad thing but it shouldn’t be a lot.

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Title: Home Life

Artist: Jane Berlandiana

I chose this because it way that it’s actually on a wall looks cool because it’s more like a house instead of just a straight canvas. I think it definitely connects to the American Experience during this time because it’s how they lived. The people in the front were painted with color and it seems like they were always all together. The people in the back that are more just like outlines look like memories to me. Maybe memories of how their life used to be. During the Great Depression it was hard for a lot of people to find work, so they often spent lots of time with each other everybody helping out trying to get by.

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I believe that most of the money should have gone towards things that made a lasting difference. The country was going through a very hard time and was in need of shelter, food, jobs, and a boost in the economy. While although I think most of the money should have gone to those things, I slightly disagree with this question because I think that some of the money should have still gone towards art. During this hard time, people still needing to be able to have joy. Artwork was one of the ways people could have something fun and it was helpful in brightening spirts. It also gave the citizens a way to feel connected with one another. However, in the article it says that, "a total of $1,184,000, an average of $75.59 per artwork." This is an extreme amount of money being paid just for art during such a hard economically challenging time. I think that if this number was limited, then it would be great!

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Children at Play painted by Ralph Chesse

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Gracie TerMeer - Depression and Rich/Poor Gap

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Gracie TerMeer - Depression and Rich/Poor Gap

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I choose this painting because I think that it captures what the average child experienced during the Great Depression. Although quite a few people were well off, the average family was extremely poor. In this painting, we see the way children had to play. It was outside and they used very cheap things such as rope, sand, a wooden toy plane, water in ponds, and other things they could find. In the American Yawp it is stated that, "the vast gap between rich and poor accelerated throughout the early twentieth century." While this was happening on the big scale, it greatly effected kids as well. The children in rich family had access to all type of toys, while realistically most kids had to make by with what they could make or find. This painting does a great job of capturing what it was like for an average child, from a poor family, that wanted to play.

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Place your post about New Deal spending on arts projects here.

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Place your artwork post below

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Make TWO posts:

ONE:

- Choose one of the pieces of art - a painting or drawing, NOT a photo or poster -

(https://content.scu.edu/digital/collection/p17268coll6/search) that you think represents some facet of American life during the Great Depression or the New Deal well.

Post:

- A screen shot of the image

- The name of the piece and the artist

- A description of why you chose it, including how you think it connects with the experience of American life during this time (tied to some kind of evidence)

- Include the topic and your name in the heading of your post (example: The 3 Rs - Wade Merrill)

TWO:
- Make a new post responding to the following:

The Great Depression was the ultimate American crisis. If government funds had to be spent on New Deal relief efforts, all of that money should have gone towards things that solved immediate emergencies or made a lasting difference: food relief, infrastructure, economic stimulus, etc. There is no reason tax payer money should have been spent on things like art and music. Tie your opnion to evidence from course materials.

- Place your post near the bottom prompt and include whether you agree or disagree in the title (example: Agree - Wade Merrill)