A New Deal for the Arts: The Federal Art Project Era 1933-1943 opens at the New Canaan Historical Society on Friday, January 11 with a reception from 5-7pm. This exhibit includes large scale works by Justin Gruelle, George Avison, Liacita Gregg, Clifton Meek, Ralph Nelson and Ernest Albert, Jr., as well as documents, works on paper, posters, and historical information. Also included are photographs of numerous important murals that have been lost or destroyed.

During the Depression of the 1930s, New Canaan experienced general, widespread unemployment, and the Town accepted relief from various governmental 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.

Come learn about this period in history where, for the first time, the United States Government subsidized artists. The exhibit will explore the impact the New Deal had on the development of American art, including the growth of abstraction, on the conversation that continues to this day on the role of government in supporting the arts, and on the socio-economic implications of this artwork.

Events associated with this exhibit include: a bus tour of WPA art in New Canaan and Norwalk led by art historian Ed Vollmer on January 30 from 10 am to 2 pm; a documentary film on the New Canaan residents who rescued and restored this art 1995-2004 followed by a conversation with Betty Branch, a member of the Town’s Commission, on February 10 from 3 to 4:30 pm; and a discussion with Jeff Urbin, Education Specialist, FDR Presidential Library, on March 3 from 4-5 pm. The exhibit runs through March 30.

For more information, visit www.nchistory.org or call the New Canaan Historical Society at (203) 918-4022. The New Canaan Historical Society is located at 13 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT.

Photo: Connecticut State Library, Justin Gruelle, The Crow & The Pitcher.