Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection
name: label: Creator
content: Federal Art Project. Photographic Division
label: Names
content: Federal Art Project (N.Y.)
label: Names
content: Federal Art Project (Wash.)
label: Names
content: Federal Art Project -- Photographs
label: Names
content: Federal Art Project. Easel Division
label: Names
content: Federal Art Project. Graphic Arts Division
label: Names
content: Federal Art Project. Poster Division
label: Names
content: Federal Music Project (U.S.) -- Photographs
label: Names
content: Federal Theatre Project (U.S.) -- Photographs
label: Names
content: Federal Writers' Project (U.S.) -- Photographs
label: Names
content: Harlem Art Center
label: Names
content: United States. Work Projects Administration
label: Names
content: United States. Works Progress Administration
label: Names
content: Abbott, Berenice, 1898-1991
label: Names
content: Alston, Charles Henry, 1907-1977
label: Names
content: Arenal, Luis
label: Names
content: Barthé, Richmond, 1901-1989
label: Names
content: Benson, John Howard, 1901-1956
label: Names
content: Berger, Andrew
label: Names
content: Blanch, Lucile, 1895-1981
label: Names
content: Bloch, Lucienne, 1909-1999
label: Names
content: Bolotowsky, Ilya, 1907-1981
label: Names
content: Brann, Louise, 1906-
label: Names
content: Burke, Selma, 1900-
label: Names
content: Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960
label: Names
content: Calapai, Letterio, 1902-1993
label: Names
content: Chodorow, Eugene (1910-2000)
label: Names
content: Criss, Francis, 1901-1973
label: Names
content: Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964
label: Names
content: De Rivera, José Ruiz, 1904-1985
label: Names
content: Dehn, Adolf, 1895-1968
label: Names
content: Dehn, Virginia E. (Virginia Engleman), 1922-2005
label: Names
content: Ennis, George Pearse, d. 1936
label: Names
content: Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973
label: Names
content: Gershoy, Eugenie, 1901?-1983 or 6
label: Names
content: Goodman, Bertram, 1904-1988
label: Names
content: Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948
label: Names
content: Greenwood, Marion, 1909-1970
label: Names
content: Guston, Philip, 1913-1980
label: Names
content: Herman, Andrew
label: Names
content: Hord, Donal, 1902-1966
label: Names
content: Horn, Sol
label: Names
content: Hovell, Joseph, 1897-
label: Names
content: Karp, William, 1905-
label: Names
content: Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953
label: Names
content: Laning, Edward, 1906-1981
label: Names
content: Levi, Julian E. (Julian Edwin), 1900-1982
label: Names
content: McMahon, Audrey, 1900?-1981
label: Names
content: Olds, Elizabeth, 1896-1991
label: Names
content: Refregier, Anton, 1905-
label: Names
content: Robbins, David
label: Names
content: Seltzer, Leo, 1916-
label: Names
content: Shuster, Will
label: Names
content: Zorach, William, 1887-1966
topic: label: Topic
content: Children's art
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Art -- United States -- Exhibitions -- Photographs
label: Topic
content: Art -- United States -- Study and teaching -- Photographs
label: Topic
content: Art centers
label: Topic
content: Federal aid to the public welfare -- Photographs
label: Topic
content: Theater and state -- United States -- Photographs
label: Topic
content: Music and state -- United States -- Photographs
label: Topic
content: Federal aid to the arts -- Photographs
label: Topic
content: Art -- Technique
label: Topic
content: Artists -- United States -- Photographs
label: Topic
content: Art -- Exhibitions
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
label: Topic
content: Art -- Study and teaching
label: Topic
content: African American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was anonymously donated to the Archives of American Art in the late 1950s.
creator: label: Creator
content: Federal Art Project. Photographic Division
setName: label: See more items in
content: Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection dates from circa 1920-1965, with the bulk of the records spanning the active years of the Federal Art Project (FAP), 1935-1942. The collection comprises 12.4 linear feet of mostly photographic prints and negatives that document primarily artwork produced by artists employed by the FAP. A smaller number of photographs also document other programs of the FAP, such as art classes and community centers, exhibitions by children and adults, artwork installed in public buildings, project divisions, and demonstrations of art processes by FAP artists.
bioghist: label: Historical Note
content: The Federal Art Project (FAP) was one of the Depression-era work-relief programs of the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). The program was founded in August 1935 to provide employment for artists and to implement visual arts programs in local communities across the country. 

 Together with the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theater Project, and the Federal Writers' Project, the FAP formed part of the WPA's Federal Project No. 1. The WPA became the Work Projects Administration in 1939 when it fell under the administrative hand of the newly created Federal Works Agency; concurrently the Federal Art Project was officially re-named the Federal Art Program.

Under the direction of Holger Cahill, the goals of the FAP fell into three main areas: production of artwork, art education through art classes and community centers, and art research through the Index of American Design. During the course of the program, artists created murals and other works of art for many non-Federal government buildings such as schools, hospitals, and libraries. Separate photographic divisions were set up in several states, most notably in New York City, to document the work of artists employed by the program, activities in art education such as classes for children and adults, community center outreach programs, and other "Federal 1" projects, including the Federal Theater and Music Projects. Employees of the photographic division were also involved in other assignments, such as creating exhibitions and photo murals.

The Federal Art Project ended in 1943.
function: label: Function
content: Programs (organizations)
label: Function
content: Agencies
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 12.4 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1920-1965
label: Date
content: bulk 1935-1942
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.fedeartp14
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 2 series:

Series 1: Artist Files, circa 1920-1965 (Boxes 1-24; 9.6 linear feet)

Series 2: Subject Files, 1934-1956 (Boxes 25-32; 2.8 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The bulk of the collection was microfilmed after donation, with the exception of some of the photographs of artists, which were separated from the collection in 1973, and placed in AAA's Photographs of Artists Collection One. These photographs were microfilmed as part of that collection, and subsequently digitized in 2003 before being returned to the Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection, in circa 2006. Some re-processing and additional description of the collection was completed by Stephanie Ashley in 2007-2008, with support from the Terra Foundation for American Art. The collection was prepared for scanning by Stephanie Ashley, and digitized in its entirety, in 2017, with funding provided by The Walton Family Foundation.
altformavail: label: Alternative Forms Available
content: This collection was digitized in its entirety in 2017 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The Federal Art Project (FAP), Photographic Division collection dates from circa 1920-1965, with the bulk of the records spanning the active years of the FAP: 1935-1942. The collection comprises 12.4 linear feet of photographic prints and negatives, including photos of FAP artists and the artwork created by them, and other activities of the FAP in communities throughout New York City and other states. Photographers include Andrew Herman, Sol Horn, David Robbins, Leo Seltzer, and others.

Artist files comprise three-quarters of the collection and consist primarily of photographs of artwork, as well as scattered photos of artists at work, including: Charles Alston, Luis Arenal, Richmond Barthe, John Benson, Andrew Berger, Lucille Blanch, Lucienne Bloch, Ilya Bolotowsky, Luise Brann, Selma Burke, Letterio Calapai, Eugene Chodorow, Francis Criss, Stuart Davis, Adolf Dehn, Virginia Dehn, Jose de Rivera, George Pearse Ennis, Philip Evergood, Eugenie Gershoy, Bertram Goodman, Arshile Gorky, Marion Greenwood, Philip Guston, Donal Hord, Joseph Hovell, William Karp, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Edward Laning, Julian Levi, Audrey McMahon, Elizabeth Olds, Anton Refregier, Will Shuster, William Zorach, and others.

The remainder of the collection consists of files documenting related activities and programs of the FAP, arranged by subject. The bulk of these files document the activities of the New York City FAP, including free art classes and art exhibitions for adults and children, exhibitions at the Harlem Art Center, and the work of FAP branches including the Easel Division, the Graphic Arts Division, and the Poster Division.

Other subjects documented include federal and community art centers in eleven states, most extensively Washington State; other WPA projects such as the Federal Theater Project, the Federal Music Project, and the Federal Writers' Project; buildings decorated with FAP artwork; art processes as demonstrated by FAP artists; special events; and people involved with the FAP, including director Holger Cahill.

One folder contains images that appear to have been taken by Berenice Abbott for the exhibition Changing New York (1935), for the Museum of the City of New York in collaboration with the WPA.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Material
content: Among the holdings of the Archives of American Art are related collections, including the Federal Art Project of the Work Projects Administration records, 1935-1948. Additional FAP records are held by the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C.