In the midst of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised Americans a New Deal. Between 1933 and 1938, he got Congress to enact a series of economic, social and political reforms. Part of that successful effort was the Works Progress Administration. Eight and half million Americans were employed building infrastructure AND creating public art. This lecture will discuss the many important artists who created enduring artworks. Many murals were painted in public buildings including the post offices in Rhinebeck, Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie.

John P. Murphy on the subject of his just-published book New Deal Art. Dr. Murphy is the Philip & Lynn Straus Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center of Vassar College.

The presentation starts at 7:00pm at the D&H Canal Museum and Mid-Hudson Visitor Center at 1315 Main Street in High Falls. There is a $10 suggested donation that can be paid at the door. No reservations necessary.