The Art of the Matter: American Art during the Great Depression

After a boom in the 1920's, the art market collapsed after the stock market crash, with sales of artwork falling 80%, and artist employment falling 9.2%. With Franklin Roosevelt's presidency in 1933 came the implementation of the New Deal, a series of reforms that attempted to stabilize the economy and provide jobs and relief to those who were suffering. Federal art programs were created alongside economic and political reform programs. The programs were created with the sole intent of relief for struggling artists, but there was a never before seen interest from the federal government in the arts.
The government first launched the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) in 1933. The PWAP employed about 3,700 artists to complete works of art that were displayed in federal, state, and municipal buildings, as well as parks and museums. Artists typically painted American themes, depicting scenes that would be familiar to the public. The government had never subsidized the arts to this degree, paying the artists $38-$45.60 a week. The formation of the PWAP showed to the American public that culture could constitute work, and that those in the arts were worthy of federal recognition and support. Artists who were used to relying solely on private patronage could now turn to the government for help.  

The Timber Bucker, a piece created for the PWAP

The Federal Art Project (FAP) was funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and it was the most significant New Deal visual arts initiative. The FAP employed more than 5,000 artists from 1935-1943. Along with helping unemployed artists, the project also wanted to bring art into the everyday life of American citizens. All types of artists were supported by the project, ranging from traditional, easel painters to folk artists. FAP artists produced hundreds of thousands of works of art, and opened more than 100 community art centers across the nation as well. These art centers were among the first to teach art outside of a traditional college or university setting, and they exposed millions of Americans to new art theories. 

Over the course of the Great Depression, federal art agencies like the PWAP and the FAP helped hundreds of thousands of struggling artists, allowing them to do what they loved in hard times. Through their work, artists were able to depict the struggle and hardship of the Depression, as well as American values that were always prevalent among the people. Although the programs had the short-term effect of providing work for many people, they also allowed many citizens to connect with art in a way they had never been able to before. 

Sources: 

https://depts.washington.edu/depress/visual_arts_index.shtml

http://www.history.com/topics/new-deal

https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/new_deal_for_the_arts/work_pays_america.html