About the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration - renamed the Work Project Administration (WPA) - with an executive order on May 6, 1935. It was part of his New Deal plan to lift the country out of the Great Depression.
The WPA employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors and commissioned hundreds of artists to create thousands of poster designs. This included posters for public exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, health, safety and educational programs, nature and travel.
At its peak, The Federal Art Project employed more than 5,300 artists. Artists from the Art Teaching Division were employed in settlement houses and community centers to give classes to an estimated 50,000 children and adults. They set up over 100 art centers around the country that served an estimated eight million individuals. The WPA arts programs led to the later creation of the National Foundation of the Arts.
