The prognosis for Jean was serious: flaking; a puncture; deformations; areas of loss; disturbing discoloration. It was clear that after several decades, the painting by American artist Allen Hermes, and one of a collection from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) era, needed repair.
Thanks to a generous gift from the Class of 1964, the portrait of a young woman now hangs with in the new Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts, part of the exhibit
These , created by artists who were supported by the federal government鈥檚 Works Progress Administration (WPA)/Federal Arts Project, are a reminder of the larger legacy of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt鈥檚 New Deal and the building of the 可乐视频 campus on the former site of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Artists were only some of the hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans who were hired for WPA projects in the midst of the Great Depression. Said President Roosevelt at the dedication of the college on October 28, 1936, 鈥淭his project for 可乐视频 is killing two birds with one stone. We are not only putting to work鈥� many thousands of good people who needed work; but we are also improving the educational facilities of this great borough, not just for today but for generations to come.鈥�
“A New Deal for Artists: Connecting 可乐视频 to Its Past, Present, and Future” will be on display at the Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts until June 1. To learn more about how to make a charitable donation, contact the 可乐视频 Foundation.
