1 10 1308 https://openvalley.org/files/original/48e7bcfa6581e61a0f5291af7907cdc9.jpeg ae2eaae5d6b5d35d31b6c699038c74ee https://openvalley.org/files/original/0bec7e8390671ebb257edcaf63eed45c.jpg c7d820da3a3a8967119136a01822b194 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Lithograph on Woven Paper Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Canvas size: 13.5 x 20 in; Framed: 23.5 x 29.5 in Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Angler Description An account of the resource A large and elegant boat dominates this scene, immediately drawing the viewer’s attention. Those few people visible in Jacks' print, scattered around the docks, appear almost ghost-like, as if incorporated into the backdrop. Their small number and otherworldly quality give the setting a sense of emptiness, making the composition feel mythical or even ominous. The Angler sits at a dock that is otherwise barren, and it is the only vessel present, further emphasizing the isolation of the scene. Jacks' use of space in her lithograph is particularly interesting, as it highlights the relationship between different elements. Small figures on an empty dock draw attention to the surrounding desolate space, creating a tension between isolation and the expansive landscape. The boat’s overwhelming size compared to the people suggests visual weight, whereas the figures appear vulnerable and hidden in the background, reinforcing the boat’s symbolic importance. The Angler itself floats on what appears to be windy water, with small, calm ripples outlined in sharp black. Overhead, the sky shifts from light to dark, moving from the top left to the right side and guiding the viewer’s gaze across the scene. This shift in tone moves the mood from calm to ominous. Interestingly, as of 2026 the Angler still remains in service as a deep sea fishing and party boat in Ocean City, MD. About the Artist Mabel Wellington Jack was born in 1899 in New York City. During her early life, she lived in Ohio and traveled frequently with her parents on one of the last showboats to sail down the Mississippi River.  She was educated in Midwest private schools, where she received several art scholarships. From roughly 1935 to 1943, she worked as an artist for the New York Art Project and the Federal Art Project (FAP), also creating artworks for the New View Hospital and Home during this time. She was mainly a printmaker who experimented with bold and dramatic nautical themes during the WPA era. Like another of her works from this period, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Swan_dive_-_Mabel_W._Jack._LCCN2002706837.jpg#/media/File:Swan_dive_-_Mabel_W._Jack._LCCN2002706837_(cropped).jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swan Dive</a> (1935), they can be appreciated as “representative of a new world into which women were propelling themselves” (Adams and Keene 54). During World War II, Jack was involved with the Red Mask Players, a Red Cross Circuit troupe, where she designed scenery and danced in performances, although further details of her roles are not recorded. Jack was married twice during her life, though not much is known about her late husbands; she preferred to use her maiden name publicly. In 1946, she moved from Greenwich Village to Staten Island, NY. There, she became an active member of the <a href="https://southshoreartistsgroup.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Shore Artist Group</a>, an important art community that showcased both amateur and professional artists through frequent exhibitions and outdoor shows. She regularly exhibited her work at the Staten Island Museum and in various outdoor events, eventually earning the distinction of honorary lifetime member. Before her passing, she lived at Richmondtown Treasure House and later at Annadale Beach. Mabel Wellington Jack passed away at the age of 80 on July 12, 1975. 5 works at the <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artist/mabel-wellington-jack-2415" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 3 works at the <a href="https://collection.artbma.org/people/9691/mabel-wellington-jack/objects?_gl=1*17m8k71*_ga*MzkxMDk0NTgwLjE3NzIxMjc4NDI.*_ga_Z89PXM15R3*czE3NzIxMjc4NDIkbzEkZzEkdDE3NzIxMjc4NTAkajUyJGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Baltimore Museum of Art</a>. 2 works at the <a href="https://www.nga.gov/artists/33591-mabel-wellington-jack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Gallery of Art in Washington</a>. 1 work at the <a href="https://www.fdrlibrary.org/art-detail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum</a>. 1 work at the <a href="https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/art/collections/objects/3674" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Princeton University art Museum</a>. 1 image at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-11-folder-38">FAP</a>.  Works Consulted: “Miss Mabel W. Jack, Island Artist,” Staten Island Advance 23 July 1970: 19; Katherine H. Adams and Michael L. Keene, Women, Art, and the New Deal (2015). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jack, Mabel Wellington (1899-1975) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1936 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Harrington, Gwenyth Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mt. Morris NY Object #FA 48 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 693 KB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Federal Art Project lithograph Mabel Wellington Jack New Deal New Deal Museum https://openvalley.org/files/original/6f048599f59059044e87e5d8d856231e.jpg 89088f561b1008eecb1d7000b7a014a9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Magazine cover illustration Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 8.5 x 11 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Christening the Ship Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ronay, Stephen R[obert] , 1900-1983 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Macfadden Publications Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-05-02 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Liberty 2 May 1942: cover Courtesy of Ken Cooper Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 2.4 MB Description An account of the resource A tightly framed composition focuses upon the traditional christening of a new ship, whose size can only be inferred. Unlike a peacetime ceremony, the dignitaries are military and the occasion is serious. Using a limited palette of saturated colors--red, white, and blue almost required--Ronay finds the opportunity to incorporate small details like the anchor pattern on a young woman's dress or the admiral's decorations. Despite the needs of wartime production, Ronay lightens the circumstances with some mild satire: below where a champagne bottle is about to be broken, we see a funnel to catch its precious contents. It's an acknowledgement of wartime scarcity and rationing, along with a stubbornness not to suspend familiar ceremonies. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Cartoon Federal Art Project Liberty Magazine Stephen Ronay World War II https://openvalley.org/files/original/611f0d05f6832e053e6f3aee6b121adc.jpg 72e4c2738dba8911b3b3a8f7dc48d12b Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Magazine cartoon Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 8.5 x 5.75 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Civil Service Wonderland Description An account of the resource By 1943, "stateside" civilian life in the US had been transformed by WWII. The War Production Board had been granted authority to conserve strategic resources, prioritize essential industrial work, and redistribute labor to support the war effort. Created in 1942, it was generally successful in its goals but the massive scope of its mandates also led to mis-allocations and frustrations. Congressman Robert Ramspeck (D-GA) was Chair of the House Civil Service Committee, and dedicated himself to locating inefficiences and wastes of taxpayer money. If it gained publicity, so much the better. "Civil Service Wonderland" was an occassional feature in Collier's that gathered stories of absurd government waste that are a staple of American life. Stephen Ronay's satirical cartoon illustrates a real-life complaint by one civil servant: "I was just one of more than 100 employees in that office, some of them being paid $6,000 and $8,000 a year, all sitting idle, as I was. Yet the walls were covered with pep slogans" (26). Along with many other examples, Ramspeck concluded that a drastic overhaul of the civil service system was necessary. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ronay, Stephen R[obert] , 1900-1983 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Crowell-Collier Publishing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-05-15 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Collier's 111.20 (15 May 1943): 26 <a href="https://archive.org/details/colliers111aprspri/page/n519/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Courtesy Internet Archive</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 970 KB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Cartoon Collier's Stephen Ronay War Production Board World War II https://openvalley.org/files/original/48fd2f614ece27a8def643ca14e38169.jpg 7ab1dadda86b123327d518f2c95c4e0d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Magazine cover Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 8.5 x 11 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Collier's Cover Art Description An account of the resource Three months before Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, and direct US involvement in World War II, military mobilization was impacting many walks of American life. Here, a satirical cover juxtaposes the scale of an ice cream man--and the simpler life he symbolized--to massive tanks and planes. A pair of eyes peeping out from the tank suggest that the soldier prefers those peaceful times, as well. Stephen R. Ronay was a painter supported by the Federal Art Project during the 1930s, but he was equally adept at gently satirical cartoons like this and another one for the magazine eight months later. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ronay, Stephen R[obert] , 1900-1983 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Crowell-Collier Publishing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-08-30 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Collier's 108.9 (30 Aug. 1941): cover <a href="https://archive.org/details/colliers108julspri/page/n496/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Courtesy Internet Archive</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 928 KB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Cartoon Collier's Federal Art Project Stephen Ronay World War II https://openvalley.org/files/original/7751f1312d6d5ef3a8c29afa4e9110e6.jpg 1803aaa93412a3ecd30421e259b15f1f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Magazine cover Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 8.5 x 11 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Fish Story Description An account of the resource While the title of this humorous cover art for Liberty magazine is unknown, its editors thought it was appropriate for the backstory to Stephen Ronay's art. "Yes, it happened!" they write; "It simply proves that the war reaches into all walks of life--including the wet and slithery upstream walk of the hitherto sovereign American fisherman" (54).  Noting that the incident occurred near Fort Pine, NY (modern-day Fort Drum), they briefly profile Ronay as a Hungarian immigrant who "made himself into one of America’s foremost landscape painters, the kind that holds one-man exhibitions in famous art galleries." His satirical and humorous cartoons allowed him to "let off steam"--as did fishing and saber-fencing. A comparison to the intense drama of Ronay's The Life Boat, painted for the Federal Arts Project, suggests that his artistic work spanned a wide range of styles and moods. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ronay, Stephen R[obert] , 1900-1983 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Macfadden Publications Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-04-04 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Liberty 19.14 (4 April 1942): cover <a href="https://archive.org/details/LibertyV19N1419420404/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Courtesy Internet Archive</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 911 KB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Cartoon Federal Arts Project Liberty Magazine Stephen Ronay World War II https://openvalley.org/files/original/05b061aa9e6a60ee712e5e1ff65893af.jpg 138006d6714d4c1c2a33c1bc3c5d8751 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting on canvas Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tri-boro Bridge Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alshets, Simon (1908 - ?) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1936 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Smithsonian Museum, Archives of American Art Federal Art Project, Photographic Division Collection <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-1-folder-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Box 1, Folder 20</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1 MB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Astoria Park Federal Art Project New Deal Gallery painting Simon Alshets Triboro Bridge https://openvalley.org/files/original/3a2291452ac60751bc8934c277d62b74.jpg 7fc19f573cf06f7fa9c4702c7a5d0daf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Photograph of oil on canvas painting Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Winter Scene Description An account of the resource A city park in winter appears endless from this low-level, child's point of view. Clusters of excited young people converge upon a sledding hill in the distance, the patterns of their tracks leading us to the destination. Most of Alshets' painting is dedicated to snow in the foreground or a beautifully patterned sky overhead; a sinuous ribbon of trees and buildings are the only reminders of its urban setting. Perhaps due to the idyllic subject matter, this work was allocated to the Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospital in Oneonta, NY. Its current status is unknown, although likely stored with the US General Services Administration (GSA). Note: this picture was taken by an unnamed photographer of the FAP's Photo Division and, so far as we know, is the only publicly available image of Alshets' painting. The original photograph has been cropped and lightly edited for clarity. About the Artist: Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alshets, Simon (1908 - ?) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1936-1941 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 599 KB Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Smithsonian Museum, Archives of American Art Federal Art Project, Photographic Division Collection <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-1-folder-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Box 1, Folder 20</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Federal Art Project New Deal Gallery Simon Alshets https://openvalley.org/files/original/53cf1b0d8da75d3d361606abd1f19204.jpg bd1e9076c4223f8d80619fa8f965be4e https://openvalley.org/files/original/c695d0c7d9a1e493c971bc1d3cc38aba.jpg 52179c902aa12d543d99449069be77ed Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Photograph of oil on board painting Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 9 x 4 ft. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cinderella Mural Description An account of the resource At the center of this mural is Cinderella and her horse-drawn carriage, a fanciful castle in the background. Also appearing are well-known characters from other fairy tales: at left, Little Bo Peep, Miss Muffet, and Little Boy Blue; at right, Jack & Jill, Red Riding Hood & the Wolf, and perhaps Peter Rabbit. There is a balance between characters holding poses and those in the midst of physical actions--both presumably of interest to young children. According to a story in the Yonkers Herald Statesman (23 Mar. 1936: 5), it was one of four Federal Art Project murals created for the community: one in the public library, and three in local schools. Harper's, measuring nine feet long, was placed over a fireplace in the kindergarten classroom of School #21. The mural's current status is unknown, but it's an intriguing companion to Harper's 1941 painting: there is a similar queen and castle, along with a riotous train of vivid characters. Ruth Harper was a longtime art teacher in the Yonkers school district, also known by her married name Ruth Austin. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harper, Ruth Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1936 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://westchesterhistory.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Photos Courtesy of Westchester Historical Society</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource White, Ava Cooper, Ken Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.4 MB jpeg, 1.5 MB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Children's Book Fairy Tale Federal Art Project Mural New Deal Ruth Harper https://openvalley.org/files/original/f4bcbcac3b8a3387391c4026e8ec8d54.jpg aecb6d6532db9b2c67cffc0b19b5ae5a Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Comic strip Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 14 x 11 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource One of Our Bombers is Missing Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Raboy, Emanuel (Mac) 1914-1967 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-10-19 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Look Magazine 7.21 (Oct. 19, 1943): 52-53 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 597 KB Description An account of the resource Emanuel (Mac) Raboy began his early professional life working in the Federal Art Project's Graphic Art Division, spanning the second half of the 1930s. His high-contrast wood engravings, dramatically composed subjects, expressive bodies, and social concerns eventually led to a very successful career as a comics artist. His first break came in 1942 with <a href="https://www.comics.org/series/306/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Captain Marvel Jr.</a> Raboy's well-regarded work eventually led to his taking on the syndicated Sunday edition of Flash Gordon in 1946, a job he held until his death in 1967.  This short work seems to have elements both of Raboy's amplified social realism and his work in comics. It describes a real-life episode of war--about the crew of a B-17 bomber forced to ditch their plane in the North Atlantic--using the structures of comics. Actions occur across sixteen panels; there are dramatic tracers, explosions, and speed lines; facial expressions match the lift-and-death actions. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Comic Strip Federal Art Project Mac Raboy World War II https://openvalley.org/files/original/68409ae3ea632f36924d9bd66b5029f4.jpg 87c8b532522d7d1a85d5f605c6442879 https://openvalley.org/files/original/a0655f04edb1c502cd03811d653f2575.jpg 4062e5fe89aa2f2937827ec04856f246 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Wood engraving print Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 7 7/8 x 5 7/8 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Fields in Spring Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Weissbuch, Oscar (1904-1948) Description An account of the resource From an elevated perspective we look into a pleasingly enclosed, bowl-shaped valley; agricultural plantings emphasize the land’s underlaying contours. An arboreal line runs diagonally across the property. In the middle ground, a small house and attached shed is tucked into one cluster of trees, that of a presumed farmer returning home. Weissbuch’s curvilinear composition is extended to mountains in the distance and a sky full of clouds. In this and other prints Weissbuch seems to illustrate the “American Scene” of regional artists of the 1930s, some of whom “chose to focus on rural subject matter, preferring images of the countryside and scenes that depicted a simpler side of life” (Viso). “Fields in Spring” was honored at the 12th Annual Exhibition for American Graphic Artists, Philadelphia, in 1938. An appreciative reviewer praised its “expert differentiation of varied qualities of earth and foliage,” which again might be taken to reference the print’s rural setting (Lewis). But he also was praising the woodcut’s variety of pattern for its own sake—at least a dozen different recurring ones to be observed. Weissbuch’s later <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/objects/1932/backyard-in-summer?ctx=4715703bae747f0b36f946b02d2517711b4029c3&idx=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Backyard in Summer”</a> (1942) suggests that, many years earlier, the artist was intrigued by tensions between representation and underlying forms. About the Artist The son of Romanian immigrants, Weissbuch grew up in Brooklyn and already was working at a hat factory by the age of fifteen. Weissbuch studied at the Yale University School of Fine Arts, the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, and the Art Students League (where he likely encountered the influential abstractionist Hans Hoffman). Beginning in 1934, Weissbuch worked on various WPA programs for seven years (Public Works of Art Project, Temporary Emergency Relief Administration, Federal Art Project), altogether producing 23 recorded prints. His works were widely exhibited in New York (including MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, and Albright-Knox Museum), along with traveling shows to California, England, and Scandinavia. Weissbuch also became an important mentor within the Graphic Arts Division. For a short time he was appointed its supervisor, and along with his predecessors was “liked and respected by the artists. They showed sympathy and understanding and stood up for the artists under the pressures of the Project administration, which in turn was under political pressure” (Kainen 170). One such pressure by the late 1930s was a call for graphic works supporting European Allies and military preparation, rather than landscapes or social criticism. Late in 1941, Weissbuch began teaching at the newly established <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munson-Williams-Proctor_Arts_Institute" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Utica Art School</a>, created by the Munson – Williams – Proctor Arts Institute. Its egalitarian mission announced that faculty, “when executing their own professional work, will welcome students and the general public who may thus observe their methods in practice” (Art Digest 1 Dec. 1941: 29). Alongside American art generally, Weissbuch’s work during the 1940s moved in a direction of increasing abstraction—for example, <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/objects/1932/backyard-in-summer?ctx=4715703bae747f0b36f946b02d2517711b4029c3&idx=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Backyard in Summer”</a> (1942) and <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/objects/10524/rooftops-no-1?ctx=4715703bae747f0b36f946b02d2517711b4029c3&idx=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Rooftops, No. 1”</a> (1943)—and then fully embraced it by the end of his life in works like <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/objects/1057/sea-motif?ctx=4715703bae747f0b36f946b02d2517711b4029c3&idx=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Sea Motif”</a> (1948). Given Weissbuch’s fascination with motific patterns and textures seen in FAP prints of the 1930s, though, perhaps abstraction makes sense as a latent potential within his earlier work. He was a brief, but meaningful influence upon the Pop artist Robert Indiana, who took classes at the Utica Art School while stationed near there in the amy (Ryan 271). But it seems there had been many other apprentices taught by Weissbuch along the way. 18 works at the <a href="https://www.philamuseum.org/collection?artist=Oscar%20Weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia Museum of Art</a>. 2 works at the <a href="https://www.nga.gov/artists/34125-oscar-weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Gallery of Art</a>. 2 works at the <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artist/oscar-weissbuch-5309" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 4 works at <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/search/Weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Munson Museum</a>. 1 work at the <a href="https://digital.wolfsonian.org/node/67534?search_api_fulltext=weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wolfsonian-FIU</a>. 4 versions of “Gypsy Fortune Teller,” illustrating stages of the woodcut printing process, at <a href="https://dac-collection.wesleyan.edu/artist-maker/info/38000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wesleyan University Davison Art Collection</a>. 5 images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-23-folder-54" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted: Olga M. Viso, “The Golden Age of American Printmaking, 1900-1950”  (1994), courtesy TFAO <a href="https://www.tfaoi.org/aa/9aa/9aa175.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; Edward Lewis, “3 Shows Open at Print Club,” Philadelphia Inquirer 27 Mar. 1938: 16; Jacob Kainen, “The Graphic Arts Division of the WPA Federal Arts Project,” in The New Deal Art Projects: An Anthology of Memoirs, ed. Francis V. O’Connor (1972) <a href="https://archive.org/details/newdealartprojec0000unse_m0q7/page/154/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; Susan Elizabeth Ryan, Robert Indiana: Figures of Speech (2000); Peter Hastings Falk, ed., Who Was Who in American Art (1999) <a href="https://archive.org/details/whowaswhoinameri0003unse/page/3507/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (description & biography) Helquist, Morgan (photography) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.5 MB jpeg, 1.6 MB Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca. 1935 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mt. Morris Object #FA 1566 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Federal Art Project Landscape Art New Deal Museum Oscar Weissbuch woodcut