Although the New Deal has faced criticism over the years by those who have labeled it a “happy marriage of big government and the arts,” the effects of the programs were important, and lasting. The New Deal “affirmed art’s importance in a democratic society,” in addition to creating a significant American collection of public masterpieces– art that could be enjoyed by everyone.
Perhaps most importantly for artists, the New Deal also resulted in a paradigmatic shift; While artists were once stereotyped and viewed negatively by society, they became respected as hard workers and “good citizens loyal to the nation,” (13). Subsequently, the framework was created in terms of Federal arts funding as a result of the New Deal. Some of the New Deal public art funding programs, such as the Art-in-Architecture (A-i-A), are still utilized today. Programs like A-i-A fundamentally support the idea that American public art should be truly owned by the public (13).
Yet, most importantly, for society as a whole, the New Deal united the American people after a time of depression and gave families a sense of national pride and new hope for the future.
The NNDPA logo, created by Jim Pirkl of Albuquerque, N.M. to depict “the various segments of the New Deal projects that Americans worked together on between 1933-43 to save this nation. We are still reaping the benefits of their labors,” asserts the organization.
Efforts are being made to preserve New Deal programs and their legacies today by organizations such as the National New Deal Preservation Association (NNDPA). The NNDPA’s mission is to sponsor, encourage, and publicize “commemorative and educational events nationwide in the hope that we can all learn more about how [New Deal] programs provide important lessons in forming public policy today,” (14).
Dill Pickle Club poster by Ian Lynham
Smaller groups are also doing their part. As reported in the Oregonian, The Dill Pickle Club arts group of Portland toured their community on bicycles to view the New Deal public art within the inner city (15). WPA pins (replicas of the originals) were gifted to the cyclists by the tour guide and leader of the arts club. The tour was comprised of nine stops: Skidmore Fountain, Portland Art Museum, Oregon Historical Society, Muitnomah County Library, Abernethy School, Westmoreland Park, Franklin High School, East Portland Post Office and Woody Guthrie Circle (15). At each stop, riders hear from “leading scholars and examine the WPA’s relevance to contemporary society,” (15.) The club aims to show fellow Oregonians that “history is not dead and buried, but living in the state’s and city’s walls and on the streets (16).