1 10 7 https://openvalley.org/files/original/9a0a4290d4c95ffb8c130cc233d7a4ca.jpg 3ef4e6f559c1db812e61ac723d67c6c6 https://openvalley.org/files/original/35a972bf20af6fff4715c68b5d188279.jpg 703485651b3ec708031495ef16cd84d5 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 Etching on paper 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 Old Shed Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.8 MB jpeg, 1.2 MB Description An account of the resource At first glance, everything about Weissbuch's etching indicates rural squalor and decline. Fallen tree limbs and roughly cut stumps are scattered across the composition; even standing trees seem to be in a state of decay. The shed itself has been constructed of bricks and roughly cut limbs for its roof joists. Only a man tucked into the frame at far right shows that the structure still is in active use. For all of that, however, it still looks sturdy and tucked into the side of this hill. Weissbuch uses darker, denser lines to portray the foreground, which is set against a conventionally picturesque valley in the background, delineated with a few lighter strokes to indicate a fence and farm- or pastureland. One implication is that a close-up visit to any location in this rural area will provide a similarly unrefined view: the reality of rural America exceeds pastoral fantasies or squalid ruins. 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>. 16 images at <a href="https://art.gsa.gov/search/weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GSA</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> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Weissbuch, Oscar (1904-1948) 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 1935-1942 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (description and biography) Helquist, Morgan (photography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY Object #FA 27776 Etching Federal Art Project New Deal Museum Oscar Weissbuch rural Squalor https://openvalley.org/files/original/8d4579a0f2d6544101b56b1bc748bffe.jpg a84dbfb5d80ca17b6d9770e4d3135661 https://openvalley.org/files/original/069288c8b5ebb1528a831bb155329d40.jpg 02abfa807cba7a8041c6182d852604a0 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 Etching on paper Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Image: 10 x 8 in.  Frame: 18 x 15 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 Hunter Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.1 MB jpeg, 961 KB Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Skolfield, Raymond White (1909 - 1996) 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 1937 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Helquist, Morgan (photography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY Object #FA 1512 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Description An account of the resource 16 images at <a href="https://art.gsa.gov/people/2467/raymond-white-skolfield/objects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GSA</a>. Etching Federal Art Project Hunter New Deal Museum Raymond White Skolfield https://openvalley.org/files/original/a01b5fdf048971bb8a18498e900bb98d.jpg 237f85a4642b0714f42557d72e1a10a5 https://openvalley.org/files/original/499154451886df670ac99388b5442a69.jpg e3191fe506c7eef4cd68c92287ea2a76 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 Print etching Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Image: 10x 13 in Framed: 17 x 21 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 Dr. Sokoloff Conducting Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.3 MB jpeg 299 KB Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sherman, Effim H. 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 1935 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Helquist, Morgan (photography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY Object #FA 1509 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Description An account of the resource 15 images at <a href="https://art.gsa.gov/search/%22effim%20h.%20sherman%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GSA</a>.  Effirm H. Sherman Etching Federal Art Project Music New Deal Museum https://openvalley.org/files/original/574c921976692a6baf779c816d8bc011.jpg a261468d51cefc0d182759ea0459992d 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 Etching Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 16 x 17 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 Walter Whitman Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource McMillan, Leo A. (1883 - 1944) 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 1937 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Taylor, Nadia (description and biography) Cooper, Ken (biography) Hellquist, Morgan (photography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Gallery, Mt. Morris NY Object #FA 3745 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 944 KB Description An account of the resource A tightly framed portrait shows the elderly American poet in profile, informally dressed. McMillan's etching creates texture and expressive lines on Whitman’s face, applying fine strokes to achieve realism. Whitman’s hair and beard are at the center of the composition, rendered with calligraphic marks that enhance his facial features. The eyes are slightly shadowed, and the background is minimally articulated to make his face appear more statue-like. Like McMillan's other portraits, one implied goal is to honor elders whose hard-earned wisdom is shown upon their grizzled faces. Walt Whitman was born in Long Island and began his working life as a printer, journalist, and teacher before turning to poetry. In 1855, Whitman published the landmark collection <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaves_of_Grass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leaves of Grass</a>, which helped establish his controversial reputation and profoundly influenced American poetry. Throughout his career Whitman carefully cultivated his visual image; the <a href="https://whitmanarchive.org/pictures-sound-video/gallery-of-images?page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Walt Whitman Archive</a> has collected more than a hundred posed photographs. Here, McMillan draws upon Whitman later in life, a period when his public persona had become that of the “Good Gray Poet.” McMillan’s portraits of informal yet profound men echo the WPA’s democratic ideals, portraying everyday Americans with dignity and emotional depth.  About the Artist Leo Angus McMillan was born in Au Sable, MI to Scottish immigrant parents and later lived in Detroit. After briefly enlisting in the army, in 1908, he studied at the Detroit School of Design and had <a href="https://archive.org/details/bulletinofdetr00detr1904/page/n283/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an early portrait</a> featured by that city’s art museum. As of 1918 McMillan’s occupation was listed as a self-employed cartoonist, perhaps suggesting freelance commercial work and portraiture. Yet it seems that his life tilted toward the necessities of supporting a wife and four children: census records indicate work as a real estate agent (1920) and a “commercial traveler” for a paint company (1930). During the late 1930s, McMillan was employed by the Graphic Arts Division of the Federal Art Project, producing at least five lithographs—interestingly, all of them sensitive portraits of older men. Between 1940 and 1942, he worked as “contact executive” for the Michigan Art and Craft Project, a spin-off of the Federal Art Project that supported mural work, wood carving, puppetry, and other crafts. McMillan’s commercial background may have landed him the administrative role. By this time, U.S. mobilization and then entry into World War II meant that artistic labor would be “entirely committed to war service,” as he explained. Five trucks loaded with hand-made furniture, wool rugs, ceramic lamps, woven drapes, and decorative screens were sent to the 184th Field Artillery unit at Fort Custer (Bower). It was a strange ending to the Federal Art Project and McMillan’s working life, for he passed away in 1944, but his dignified portraits of artists, musicians, and thinkers survive him. 1 work at <a href="https://umma.umich.edu/objects/musician-1943-85/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Michigan Museum of Art</a>. 2 works at <a href="https://ackland.emuseum.com/people/6531/l-a-mcmillan/objects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ackland Art Museum</a>. 1 work at <a href="https://jsmacollection.uoregon.edu/mwebcgi/mweb?request=record;id=15823;type=101" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art</a>. 1 work at Metropolitan Museum of Art. 3 images at <a href="https://art.gsa.gov/artists/2059/leo-a-mcmillan/objects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GSA</a>. Works Consulted: “Fort News,” The Leavenworth Post 22 July 1909: 5; Ancestry.com; Helen Bower, “WPA Work Furnishing Army Rooms,” Detroit Free Press 27 Feb 1942: 3. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Etching Federal Art Project Leo A. McMillan Michigan Art and Craft Project New Deal Gallery Walt Whitman https://openvalley.org/files/original/48ecbdd952b3fa28646e46e44ca4c658.jpg 1a652c1352aea2da20f9ed48a6bb06c0 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 etching 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 Small Town Harlem Description An account of the resource At the time of this painting Harlem had the highest population density in New York, so it is a surprise to see remaining pockets of its originally rural identity. On the hill above, we see newer and more expensive housing. About the Artist: Born in Rogachov, Russia, Kovner—who painted under the name “Saul”—immigrated with his parents in either in 1911 or 1912 to New York. He studied there at the National Academy of Design with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Webster_Hawthorne" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles Hawthorne</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Auerbach-Levy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William Auerbach-Levy</a>. Kovner then set up a studio near Central Park, whose gregarious crowds seem to have influenced many of his works, regardless of their unflinching looks at poverty. In 1935, Kovner was one of three WPA artists assisting James Michael Newell on <a href="https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/evander-childs-high-school-mural-bronx-ny/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Evolution of Western Civilization</a>—a massive, 12-panel fresco at Evander Childs High School in the Bronx. Kovner moved to Burbank, CA in the late 1940s and remained there until his death. 6 works at <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artist/saul-kovner-2702" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 1 work at the <a href="https://www.dia.org/art/collection?keys=kovner&keyword=&start=&end=&sort_bef_combine=search_api_aggregation_6+ASC&Submit+Collection+Search=Search+Collection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Institute of Arts</a>. 1 work at <a href="http://collection.whitney.org/object/4903" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitney Museum of American Art</a>. 3 works at <a href="https://www.nga.gov/collection-search-result.html?artist=Kovner%2C%20Saul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Gallery of Art</a>. 1 work at the <a href="https://gallery.newarkmuseum.org/media/view/Objects/3073519/595685?t:state:flow=6f524d60-9569-439c-b346-e757c9208e43" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newark Museum</a>. 1 work at <a href="https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/collections/objects/3676" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Princeton University Art Museum</a>. 4 more images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-13-folder-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kovner, Saul, 1904-1982 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 1939 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-13-folder-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Archives of American Art, Federal Art Project, Photographic Division, Box 13, Folder 8.</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 384 KB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Etching Federal Art Project Harlem, New York New Deal Gallery Saul Kovner https://openvalley.org/files/original/0704c438820f39298185c29f1b1ffdd7.jpg de706fe11f5c1ed27026f53fe3fb8a27 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 Etching Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 16.5 x 15.5 in Condition: to be remounted, glass and frame cracked, surface dirt 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 Church Graveyard Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.1 MB Description An account of the resource The identity of this unusual church isn’t clear. Its design and steeple are characteristic of many found throughout New England; at the top of its steeple is a small “onion dome” turret usually found on Russian or Greek Orthodox churches. Jones may have found this subject matter intriguing, along with what appears to be a very old graveyard in the foreground. Lightly etched environmental details—clouds, trees, bushes—surround the central building like a nimbus. About the Artist: Born in Manchester, NH, Jones studied painting at the Cowles Art School in Boston under <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Lee_Major" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ernest Major</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_DeCamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joseph de Camp</a>. His early career involved commercial illustration for the publisher <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Munsey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frank A. Munsey</a>, an indication of that style during this period possibly shown in his whimsical illustrations for a children’s book called <a href="https://archive.org/details/monkeyshineslitt00hall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monkey Shines</a> (1904). Among the places where Jones’ work was exhibited include the Salmagundi Club (1907, 1917, 1929), the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco (1915), and the Brooklyn Museum of Art (1930-31). In addition to the etching housed at the NDG, Jones’ other work for the WPA appeared at a rotating exhibition in Patchogue, NY (1936) and a posthumous print exhibition at Keuka College, Penn Yan, NY (1941). From about 1933 to 1940, he taught art at the Stony Brook School for Boys, a Christian co-ed college preparatory school. 12 works at <a href="http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/list.php?m=o&s=du&oid=1.&f=a&fa=4598" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athenaeum</a>. 1 work at the <a href="https://artsbma.org/collection/misty-day-in-winter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Birmingham Museum of Art</a>. 1 more image at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-11-folder-50" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jones, Leon Foster, 1871-1940 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 1935-1940 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Object #FA18181 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 088 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ritz, Abigail (photography) Cooper, Ken (biography) Church Etching Federal Art Project Leon Foster Jones New Deal Gallery https://openvalley.org/files/original/39f515ac30d6401d36a138ba468815c2.jpg 78236d1c7feeff6c0232df56c7a0dafe https://openvalley.org/files/original/3358b04d25fae9c46fe0c298b22fcd8c.JPG 0426584f495d5ddd07b211314666eaaf 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 Etching Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 6 x 8 in. Condition: surface dirt on glass 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 Preaching to the Birds Description An account of the resource This work displays a man suspended off the ground, surrounded by a variety of birds. The man himself looks to be St. Francis. The birds surrounding him are varied, with different species and sizes. The etching is darkly colored, primarily using blacks and whites. Behind the subject, the background is almost entirely black. Elements of circular halos can be seen surrounding the man, and rays of light are emanating from his head. About the Artist: Born in Cologne, Germany to a Jewish family, Eichenberg moved to Berlin where he worked ten years for Ullstein Publications, one of the country’s largest publishers. He fled to New York in 1933 amidst the rise of Nazism. One of Eichenberg’s first jobs in the US was creating illustrations for The Nation and he taught art lessons at The New School for five years; later, he founded the Pratt Center for Contemporary Printmaking. Recalling this challenging decade, Eichberg spoke fondly of WPA support for artists like him: “I went there with a few of my wooden engravings, or prints and asked him what I could do. It was just as simple as that. He said, ‘Oh, this is marvelous work. Go ahead and do what you want to do.’ It was that simple. There were no strings attached to it... I got box wood, which is very hard to get—the WPA had kind of a supply room and everything we needed. You had to say what you needed, and you got it. They bought the tools. They bought the gravers and they sharpened the gravers and you took your material home with you. You just picked it up there—beautiful wood blocks, any size” (<a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-fritz-eichenberg-12479#transcript" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oral History Interview</a>). Eichenberg became a sought-after illustrator for more than a hundred books—Poe, Dostoyevsky, Turgenev, Swift, the Brontës, numerous children’s stories—but he was especially moved by a request to create prints for Dorthy Day’s Catholic Worker magazine: “She said she had seen clippings of my work in the hovels of coal miners and so on, people in all parts of the world; people who could not read the Catholic Worker but they understood my very simple images of saints and portraits of people important in the Catholic worker movement.” Eichenberg was a witty commentator on current affairs; his print at the NDG references both St. Francis’s sermon to the birds and the pretensions of high-altitude balloon flights during the 1930s, like those undertaken at the<a href="https://archive.org/details/1933-08-07_Stratosphere_Balloon_Falls" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Century of Progress</a> in 1933. In later life he contributed talks, essays, and books on his medium, including The Art of the Print (1976) and The Wood and the Engraver  (1977). Oral history interviews in<a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-fritz-eichenberg-12479#transcript" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 1964</a> and<a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-fritz-eichenberg-12736#transcript" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 1979</a>. 12 works at the<a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!/search?artist=Eichenberg,%20Fritz$Fritz%20Eichenberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>. 19 works at<a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!/search?artist=Eichenberg,%20Fritz$Fritz%20Eichenberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Smithsonian Museum of American Art</a>. 105 works at<a href="https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/person/31913?person=31913" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Harvard Art Museum</a>. 9 more images at<a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-6-folder-44" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> FAP</a>, including companions to his lithograph at NDG: “Preaching to the Animals,” “Preaching to the Fishes.” Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eichenberg, Fritz, 1901-1990 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 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ritz, Abigail (photography) Bangsil, Kristopher (biography) Cooper, Ken (biography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Object #FA18147 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 896 KB jpeg, 7.2 MB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 057 Etching Federal Art Project Fritz Eichenberg New Deal Gallery