Section of Fine Arts selected administrative records and correspondence
name: label: Creator
content: United States. Public Buildings Administration. Section of Fine Arts
label: Names
content: Public Works of Art Project
label: Names
content: Treasury Relief Art Project
label: Names
content: United States. Dept. of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts
label: Names
content: United States. Dept. of the Treasury. Section of Painting and Sculpture
label: Names
content: Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943
label: Names
content: Rowan, Edward Beatty, 1898-1946
label: Names
content: Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960
topic: label: Topic
content: Federal aid to public welfare
label: Topic
content: Art and state -- United States
label: Topic
content: New Deal, 1933-1939
label: Topic
content: Federal aid to the arts
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Microfilmed 1966 from National Archives record group 121, records of the Public Buildings Service. Additional records of the Section are preserved at the National Archives. AAA has filmed and described separately, selected related records of the Treasury Relief Art Project (reels DC14-38) and the Public Works of Art Project (DC1-13 and DC112-115). Researchers may also wish to consult Edward Bruce's personal papers and those of Edward Rowan and Forbes Watson.
label: Provenance
content: Series which were not filmed include: correspondence and reference file of Forbes Watson, 1935-1941; correspondence with artists, 1939-1942; correspondence of Alexander Abels, 1937; annual reports, 1935-42; miscellaneous reports, 1935-1939; bulletins of the Section, 1935-1941; announcements of competitions, 1935-1941; proposals to expend funds for murals and sculpture, 1935-1941;
label: Provenance
content: case files concerning embellishments of federal buildings, 1934-1943; technical questionaires; letters received and other records concerning completed murals and works of sculpture and their artists; biographical data file concerning artists, 1938; records concerning exhibitions, 1939-1942; records concerning the decoration of New York World's Fair buildings, 1937-1941;
label: Provenance
content: records concerning the Marian Anderson mural project, 1939-1943; records concerning National Art Week, 1940-1941; records concerning national defense and war art projects, 1941-1942;
label: Provenance
content: correspondence with and about artists in the civilian conservation corps camps, 1934-1937; file concerning the allocation of and receipt for works of art produced in civilian conservation corps camps, 1934-1937; location record of art works, 1933-1943; and card record by artist of completed works of art.
creator: label: Creator
content: United States. Public Buildings Administration. Section of Fine Arts
setName: label: See more items in
content: Section of Fine Arts selected administrative records and correspondence
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The Section of Fine Arts was initially established in 1934 under the Treasury Department as the Section of Painting and Sculpture, changing its name in 1938. In 1939, it was transferred (retaining its name) from the Treasury Dept. to the Public Buildings Administration of the newly created Federal Works Agency, until it was abolished in 1943. Its function was to decorate new federal buildings, but unlike the other New Deal art agencies, it was not a relief project and it awarded contracts through a juried system of competition. Edward Rowan was head of the Section from its beginning to late 1937 and during most of 1943. Edward Bruce was in charge during the intervening years. Forbes Watson served as editor of the Bulletin of the Section of Painting and Sculpture.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 19 microfilm reels
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1934-1943
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.unstpbad
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Microfilm reels
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: 35mm microfilm reels DC38-DC43 & DC116-DC128 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: Originals in the National Archives; record group 121, entries 122 and 124.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Selected textual records from the Public Buildings Administration Section of Fine Arts (1939-1943) and its two predecessor organizations in the Dept. of the Treasury, the Section of Painting and Sculpture (1934-1938) and Section of Fine Arts (1938-1939). The two series filmed include General Records of the Section (8 ft., reels DC38-43), containing correspondence, memoranda, reports, press releases, clippings, and photographs; and Correspondence of Edward Bruce (6 ft., reels DC116-128) concerning the various federal aid art programs. Each series has been described separately.