Vermont's Federal Works Progress Administration Art

The Gallery is the sole repository for the State of Vermont for the WPA artwork that employed many out of work artists during the Great Depression. The WPA collection spotlights a dramatic moment in American history as the nation struggled and sparked relief projects to help create a new economy.

The WPA highlights social resistance art work from the 1930's and 1940's. This was a period of time in America's history where industrialization and economic development failed; leaving millions of Americans out of work and destitute. The period called the "Great Depression" was the deepest and longest lasting economic downturn of the Western Industrialized world. The WPA was developed to put Americans, including artists, back to work. The T.W. Wood Gallery's WPA collection spotlights a dramatic moment in American history as the nation struggled and sparked relief projects to help create a new economy. This was a convulsive time in American history and WPA artists were required to stay within their state and to portray local subjects, which offer a diverse portrayal of life in the United States from this period.