Mrs. Ruland's U.S. History Class Project
Effect of the New Deal on the Arts
After the Great Depression in the U.S., President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal For America" was formed to relief, recover, and reform the country from extreme economic hardship. During the New Deal, legislation was passed by congress to help businesses, banks, the public, and even the arts. Actors and actresses, musicians, writers, and visual artists were effected by legislation concerning the arts. Such legislation includes The Federal Theatre Project, Works Progress Administration, and The Federal Writers Project, created to save American culture from disappearing due to lack of funding for the arts. The links listed below can help you learn more about the effect of the new deal on the arts.
This web page focuses on the New Deal programs that affected the U.S. culturally. It provides useful information about important components of the New Deal organization WPA.
New Deal Cultural Programs: Experiments in Cultural Democracy
This web page focuses on the New Deal programs that affected the U.S. culturally. It provides useful information about programs such as The Federal Art Project and the Federal Music project.
American Memory: The New Deal Stage Selections from the Federal Theatre Project
American Memory has provided productions and play scripts performed by the Federal Theatre Project. In addition, this web page has documents and records about the box numbers during the performances.
Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections 1937-1942
This web site is a collection of songs and other music from many cultures. The music and songs were recorded by many writers from the Federal Writer's Project. There is also a page that describes the ethnic groups in Florida during the New Deal. This collection of ethnic groups is provided by the WPA.
This web page details the several artistic efforts in the New Deal, including sponsoring by the WPA, the messages and recurring themes in the resulting works, and activism in the arts.
WPA Life Histories About the Federal Writers' Project
The Federal Writers' Project was one of the programs during the New Deal. The Federal Writers' Project collected many writings such as Hands That Build America. This sites describes the role the Federal Writers' Project played for unemployed writers during the Great Depression.
Encyclopedia of American Histories: New Deal
This web page provides background information on the New Deal as well as specific results of the works and controversy over the funding of and messages of the art.
Who's Who in New Deal Art Projects
Many people were a part of the New Deal Art Projects. This site provides names and a short biography of important individuals who contributed to the projects.
The WPA Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939
This web page offers an extremely detailed description of the Federal Theatre Project, funded by the WPA. It also gives links to documents in the Federal Theatre Project Archives.
History of the New Deal Art Projects
This web sites give a brief description of the New Deal programs that affected the arts. Also, this sites provides two timelines; one on the New Deal, and one on New Deal programs for the arts.
New Deal Art During the Great Depression
This web page concentrates on the WPA promotion of the arts in every state in the U.S. It emphasizes especially on the Federal Art Project.
By: Eve M., Elisabeth A., Pricilla M., and Haley K.
Last updated March 28, 2006
© Marcella Ruland 1998-2008, All rights reserved
