Public Works of Art Project

Public Works of Art Project (PWAP)

First of the U.S. federal art programs conceived as part of the New Deal during the Great Depression. Organized in 1933, it provided work to thousands of unemployed artists. PWAP projects (many of which were left unfinished) included some 7,000 easel paintings and watercolours, 1,400 murals and sculptures, 2,500 works of graphic art, and numerous other works designated to embellish nonfederal public buildings and parks. Prominent works include the murals in San Francisco's Coit Memorial Tower, Grant Wood's mural at Iowa State College, and Ben Shahn's mural designs on the theme of Prohibition. Many projects left incomplete when the PWAP ended in 1934 were finished under the WPA Federal Art Project.