New Deal Federal Art Project Research Collection

Correspondence, photographs, printed matter, and research notes gathered or produced by Barbara Bernstein for a grant-funded film entitled “Silver Lining” and a related but presumably unpublished typescript. Bernstein’s aim was “to make available to the public a whole era’s worth of good and valuable art that for a long time [was] inaccessible, not so much lost as unidentified.” Bernstein sought works created not only through the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project, but also those sponsored or funded by lesser known New Deal art programs such the PWAP (Public Works of Art Program), the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture (later, Treasury Section of Fine Arts), and The Treasury Relief Art Project. The scope of Bernstein’s research encompassed only surviving, large-scale works of New Deal art in public places in Illinois, including those found de-installed but in storage. View finding aid. Collection access:Collections may be accessed in the Franke Reading Room of the Research Center at The Art Institute of Chicago, by appointment only. For further information, consult the FAQ. Finding aids by subjectBrowse all finding aidsBrowse images and mediaOral histories Contact the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives:archives@artic.edu