WPA Art Classes

(WPA poster, courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.)

(WPA poster, courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.)

(A WPA art class in California. The description for this photograph reads, "Clay arts are among the crafts which afford an outlet for adults whose days are buried in the routine of the modern industrial plant." Photo courtesy of the National Archives and the New Deal Network.)

(The description for this photo reads, "Sculpturing is lots of fun at the Hudson Guild, one of the 241 art centers in New York where the WPA Federal Art Project holds free classes." Photo courtesy of the National Archives and the New Deal Network.)

New Deal policymakers felt that art classes and art projects were a great way to get unemployed artists and teachers back to work, to teach children and adults new skills, and to decorate public places. Today's policymakers? Neh, not so much. For example, K-12 art programs have been cut, or entirely eliminated, all across the nation, in order to preserve tax cuts for the super-wealthy and also to devote additional resources towards mechanized standardized test-taking. 

(See, for example, "Public schools slash arts education and turn to private funding," ThinkProgress, August 5, 2013, "D.C. parents fight arts budget cuts," Washington Examiner, March 30, 2013, and "Conservative Republicans pledge to eliminate cultural funding," Washington Post, January 20, 2011.)

Will American society really be better off if we keep reducing public support for the arts, social studies, and physical education, and instead place more and more emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing-taking? Well, apparently a lot of people think so - because that's exactly what's happening. But that choice has consequences, e.g., bland architecture, a citizenry ignorant of its history, and high levels of childhood obesity. But hey, as long as billionaires can keep adding billions to their personal fortunes, I guess everything is a-ok, right?