Breaking Tradition, Forging Ahead: WPA Prints from the Collection

The exhibition is a student-organized project under the direction of the museum staff and the instructor of the Museum Studies class. The exhibit asks its audience: "What if you were free to express yourself?"

In the 1930s, the federal government's Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped put America back to work during the Great Depression. Included in this effort were American artists who were provided a living wage in exchange for works of art. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the WPA, these works on paper reveal the creativity of the artists as they experimented in style and form, helping to define a uniquely American approach to art.