Etching entitled "Building the Star of Oregon, 1841" by W. F. McIlwraith.

Earning a living from the sale of artwork has always been difficult, especially for those just beginning their careers. To pay the bills, most artists hold other jobs: teaching, illustration, photography, jewelry engraving, or farming. The onset of the Great Depression worsened artists' economic difficulties as these jobs disappeared and as purchases of art declined significantly.

To aid artists and at the same time make art more available to the general population, the federal government created the Public Works of Art Program (PWAP) within the Treasury Department. Funds set aside to pay for artwork in public buildings were awarded based on juried review of proposals, so the program tended to help more established artists, not necessarily the ones with the greatest economic need.

The PWAP provided work for 3,700 artists who created over 15,000 works of art, including murals in many federal buildings, especially post offices. Although the program lasted only one year (1933), the Treasury Department continued to devote funds to art in public buildings though its Section of Painting and Sculpture (1934-1938) and its Section of Fine Arts (1938-9).

In 1935, the federal government began its wider work-relief program, the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It included artists through a section known as the Federal Art Project (FAP). The FAP had three goals: production of art, art education at community art centers, and research on traditional American designs.

To be eligible for this program, an artist had to qualify as a professional artist and meet relief requirements of the state WPA board. Local administrators assigned some artists to specific projects such as murals and posters; other artists were assigned to produce a painting or sculpture every few weeks.

The WPA owned the completed works but deposited them for display at public institutions: museums, schools, and local government offices. Before the program ended in 1943, over 5,000 artists in the FAP created over 100,000 paintings, 18,000 pieces of sculpture, 2,500 murals, and 250,000 prints of 11,000 original designs in the graphic arts.

Relevant location(s): Benton County, Oregon, National