Evening star., 1926-05-09
Art Lovers to Convene
In the National Capital

! the campaign for a building to house
/ the National Gallery of Art This
! campaign will be concluded as soon as
/ Congress appropriates funds sufficient
! to erect a suitable structure on the
site already designated in the Mall,
and from plans drawn two years ago
| by Charles Platt, architect of the
I Freer Gallery.
! The American Federation OF Arts
has for the past two Winters broad
! cast series of radio talks on art
nd its relation to everyday life. from
/ station WEAF. in New York City,
! which is estimated to reach an invisi-
/ BILE audience of ten million listenerS-in.
, These talks have been given by men
! and women who are leaders of thought
, in their various fields of endeavor, and
stress the broad application of the
word art" emphasized by the Amer
, can Federation of Arts-art in indus
/ try in commerce. in manufa ctures. in
all phases of our daily life. rather
| than in the narrow sense implied by
| the so-called fine arts.
Among the projects undertaken this
wear is the Art Booklet, containing
practical articles on the application of
arts principles in the home. school
any other familiar sphere. This book
/ let was prepared and published hy
! the American Federation of Arts for
| free distribution through the news
papers throughout the country, repre-
senting the Haskin Service. An aver
! age of 1000 copies each month has
I been distributed since January. each
copy in reply to an individual request.
! But even more promising than
reaching the adult public is the fed
eration's constant appeal to the chill
dren of the Nation. if we are to believe
| the truth of the familiar old adage,
"4As the tWig is bent" etc. For it is
they who will so shortly bear the
torch of our civilization. and who will
say whether it shall illuminate the
world or flicker but feebly. Even
more than the average person realizes.
perhaps, an understanding of and
/ love of art not only develops the in
| dividual's culture and enjoyment, but
produces a broad outlook on life and
problems which at first thought may
seem far removed from the realm of
| beauty. But to be specific. is it not
reasonable to assume that the person
who understands and loves such paint
| ings as Millet' THE SOwer' and The
Cleaners" will have a deeper under
standing of the worlds workers and
more sympathy in his dealing with
them and their economic problems of
! the present?
The American Federation of Arts
last year undertook a campaign to
place a work of art, beautiful paint
| ing or print or piece of sculpture, or
a good reproduction, in every school
room in the land, from the one-room
portable building in some isolated
stretch of country, to the most up-to-
date institution in great city.
| ones imagination wanders joyously
| far afleld in picturing the probable
results. of q. successful conclusion to
this undertaking. Children, no matter
what their environment or heredity,
are so plant so easily set in the right
direction, that all kinds of good would
seem likely to ensue from their having
as a familiar friend a work of art.
1t would be an everyday chum, not
something to gaze upon from afar
with aWed reverence O: complete
| ignorance.
| Nor does the American Federation
of Arts operate in complete independ-
| ence of other organizations. such as
the American Institute of Architects,
| the General Federation of Women's
Clubs. the Daughters of the American
Revolution and numerous others, but
co-operates with them 10 the fullest
extent in all projects where success
00ncnQS upon dStIPh. hC
| American Federation of Arts was in
strumental in obtaining the official ap-
pointment of the National Commits
sion of Fine Arts; it supports the
recommendations of this board of ex-
| perts. and endeavorS to induce Con-
gress to act upon them. To cite an
other instance, the American Fedora
ton of Arts and the American Insti-
tute of Architects co-operated to Sc
cure the adoption of the present site
, for the Lincoln Memorial.
| Convention days have ever been
periods of inspiration to the American
Federation of Arts. Ideas are born
and new projects launched after each
yearly gathering. The placement of
works of art in the schools, the radio
talks. the Art Booklet, are all fruits
of the last two conventions. Equally
beneficent plans may be expected to
evolve at the coming convention Of the
American Federation Of Arts.