“Signs of the Times” takes its title from a trade publication of the WPA period. The exhibition was presented Sept. 13–Oct. 21, 2001 by the Levy Gallery for the Arts in Philadelphia. More than 40 original posters illustrated dynamic poster designs from an important chapter in the history of American graphic arts and represented a diverse range of topics—from promoting safety in the workplace to celebrating regional folk traditions.

Created during Franklin Roosevelt’s tenure, the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project employed more than five thousand artists in various projects including the many poster divisions based in cities throughout the United States. Many of the New Deal projects were driven by the belief that art should be a part of our daily lives. The Federal Art Project poster divisions exemplified this ideal by producing works that seamlessly integrated European modernist design principles (developed at such schools as the Bauhaus in Germany) with the practical need to convey socially conscious messages. The government-sponsored messages were intended specifically as an effective means of advocating New Deal social policies. Nevertheless, as Federal Art Project historian Francis V. O’Connor has noted, “The government unwittingly launched a movement to improve the commercial poster and raise it to an art form.”

Culled from local collections, including The Free Library of Philadelphia, Moore College of Art and Design, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the exhibition featured examples of silkscreen, lithograph, woodblock, and hand-painted poster designs. Highlights included a series of posters produced for the Philadelphia Zoo, works by Katherine Milhous celebrating the region’s Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, and work safety posters created by Robert Muchley.

Links

• The WPA In Pennsylvania: 1964 interview with Richard Hood, former PA director of the Federal Art Program
• Calendar by the Poster Division of The Federal Art Project, Works Progress Administration: Library of Congress online
• Posters from the WPA: Library of Congress collection highlights
• Video: Library of Congress interview with WPA Silkscreen Artist Tony Velonis
• Library of Congress collection of WPA posters linked by subject