Earlier this month we had the privilege of inviting Dr. Andy Dvorak from Highland Community College to the museum for a talk about the Works Progress Administration programs in America during the Great Depression.
Dr. Dvoark gave us a wonderful introduction to the development of the WPA, the political and social climate of the nation at the time and offered some insightful history about the artists involved in the projects.
This video clip below (hopefully I get this imbedded correctly) shows a part of the lecture where Dr. Dvorak discusses the artists involved in WPA art and the challenges presented from working within the constricts of a government run program.
Also, here are a few examples of the two "camps" of artwork he was referring to in his presentation.
Grand Avenue by Briggs Dyer depicts the style and subject matter affiliated with the Social Realism 'camp' of artists who were interested in showing the realities faced by people living in the urban environment of American cities.
The Gardeners by Gustaf Dalstrom is a fine example of the other 'camp' of artists whose works fall into the category of Regionalism. These scenes often portrayed farmers and other rural groups as heroic, hardworking Americans who could be relied upon to help pull the nation out of the downslide of the Depression.
Many thanks go out to Andy Dvorak for providing such an enjoyable talk--it was a perfect capstone to the exhibition.
~Jessica J. Caddell
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