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WPA

The Great Depression in New York City: A Primer

September 11, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Crowd in front of the New York Stock Exchange, October 1929As the 1920s advanced, the economy soared. But with that dramatic expansion came irrational exuberance and unchecked speculation: stock prices reached levels that had no basis in reality; margin purchases were rampant; banks handed out loans lavishly and imprudently; and giddy product production resulted in a vast oversupply of goods.

On Tuesday, October 29, 1929, it all came crashing down. This is the story of the Great Depression in New York City. [Read more…] about The Great Depression in New York City: A Primer

Filed Under: Arts, History, New York City Tagged With: Black History, Brooklyn, Economic History, Education, Financial History, Fiorello La Guardia, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Great Depression, Harlem, Herbert Hoover, Hispanic History, Housing, Jimmy Walker, Labor History, Manhattan, New Deal, New York City, New York Stock Exchange, poverty, Public Health, Queens, Staten Island, Wall Street, WPA

Granville’s WPA Mural of Working in a Slate Quarry

September 6, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Men Working in Slate Quarry Granville Mural“Men Working in Slate Quarry,” the 1939 Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded mural displayed at the Slate Valley Museum in Granville, Washington County, NY is as good an example as you will find of “Art for the People.”

The subject of the museum’s current exhibition “One Painting, Many Stories,” explores many of the artistic, cultural and political contexts within which the mural was created. [Read more…] about Granville’s WPA Mural of Working in a Slate Quarry

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Events, History Tagged With: Art History, Geology, Granville, Labor History, New Deal, painting, Slate Valley Museum, Washington County, WPA

Under Threat: James Brooks / Charlotte Park Home & Studios, East Hampton

July 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Brook Studio courtesy Preservation League of New York StateThe Brooks-Park Home & Studios in East Hampton on Long Island is an important physical link to the Abstract Expressionist Art movement and the artists who made it their home.

Artists James Brooks and Charlotte Park were at the forefront of the Abstract Expressionist art movement of the 1940s and 50s. James Brooks in particular is especially is well known for painting the largest site-specific Works Progress Administration (WPA) wall mural, in the landmarked interior of the Marine Terminal at New York’s La Guardia Airport. [Read more…] about Under Threat: James Brooks / Charlotte Park Home & Studios, East Hampton

Filed Under: Arts, History, Nature, New York City Tagged With: Architecture, Art History, Brooks-Park Home, Esat Hampton, Historic Preservation, Long Island, modernism, Preservation League of NYS, Suffolk County, WPA

Tom Kilboy: Balladeer of the Erie Canal

June 3, 2022 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, David Brooks, education director at Schoharie Crossing State Historic site in Fort Hunter, takes a look at life on the wild side of the Erie Canal with tales about the Kilboys, including balladeer Tom Kilboy. [Read more…] about Tom Kilboy: Balladeer of the Erie Canal

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Erie Canal, Labor History, Musical History, Podcasts, Schoharie Crossing SHS, Watervliet, WPA

Geneva, NY’s Veterans Memorial Fountain: A History

July 4, 2021 by Bill Orzell Leave a Comment

Our Lady of Peace sculpture in GenevaThe Veterans Memorial Fountain has stood in Geneva, New York’s Pulteney Park for more than 80 years. It is a gray marble sculpture of a full-size female form, on one knee, thrusting a Hoplite sword into the ground, allegorically symbolizing the cessation of hostilities.

The sculpture, created by Jean MacKay Henrich (1909-2002) and entitled “Our Lady of Peace,” is mounted on a pink marble base and is surrounded by a stepped pool, also of pink marble, from which fountains of water issue upward. The entire Veterans Monument in Pulteney Park was designed by noted architect and professional photographer, Thomas Lyon White of Geneseo, and was partially funded by the Works Project Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression.

The design plan was to symbolically memorialize Veterans of all struggles, rather than any particular person or campaign. The architect and sculptor worked together to develop a simple yet warm tone in the memorial by which Geneva would preserve forever the love of country and sacrifice made by those who did not return home. [Read more…] about Geneva, NY’s Veterans Memorial Fountain: A History

Filed Under: History, Western NY Tagged With: art, Geneva, Geneva Historical Society, Military History, Ontario County, sculpture, Seneca County, WPA

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