Introduction To most Americans, the stock market crash of 1929 marked the beginning of the Great Depression. While the crash certainly affected Nebraska, by the early 1930s other factors contributed to the state's bleak situation. Farm prices plummeted. Farmers were financially overextended, and faced drought and dust storms. Like the rest of the country, Nebraska supported the progressive ideas of Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR began his presidency with a sweeping agenda of assistance programs known as the New Deal. The New Deal included assistance to the jobless through federally-backed employment. In early 1933, the government established the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and its sub-agency the Civil Works Administration (CWA). They funded temporary minimum wage employment programs during 1933 - 34. The first federal art project was the Public Works of Art Program (PWAP). It was part of the CWA and ran from December 1933 until June 1934. The art in this exhibit was produced for the PWAP, and remains property of the United States Government. The Nebraska State Historical Society maintains this collection on long-term loan so that it can be exhibited periodically for the benefit of all Nebraskans. "Not a few people were amazed, and I still am, to learn of the number of people in Nebraska who were employed on . . . the art project . . . We seldom think of Nebraska as the home of much artistic endeavor and yet we discover a wealth of talent and ability . . ." Ernest Witte, Administrator of the Nebraska Emergency Relief Administration Work . . . Or The Lack Thereof Unemployment and financial hardship were all around. Government work relief programs were just beginning. It isn't surprising that many Nebraska artists reflected the American Scene with pictures of work or relief.    The Noon Shift Louis Smetana, Omaha Watercolor on paper 35 x 27 framed 743p-037 The Mat Louis Smetana, Omaha Watercolor on paper 15x 21.75 743p-172 Completing the Revetment Louis Smetana, Omaha Watercolor on paper 26.5 x 35 framed 743p-034  Louis Smetana was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1878. He came to Omaha in 1911 and spent the rest of his life there. Smetana was an architectural draftsman, amateur painter and ichthyologist.   Going to Work Ernest Stevens, Neligh Ink on paper 27 x 37.25 framed 743p-106 Ernest Stevens produced this hopeful (or reminiscent) image while living in Neligh and working for the PWAP. Born in Iowa, he attended the Platte Institute and studied in Paris at the Academie Julien with Max Bohm. By 1935 Stevens was in Wyoming. He painted WPA murals for the high school auditorium in Torrington, and directed the federal art gallery there until his death.   Unskilled Labor Bureau Elizabeth Olds, Omaha Lithograph 15 x 12 unframed 743p-001-02 Tuberculosis Tests for Children Elizabeth Olds, Omaha Lithograph 17 x 10 unframed 743p-002-02 Boy Artist at Transient Shelter Elizabeth Olds, Omaha Lithograph 9 x 12 unframed 743p-005-33 CWA Dental Clinic Elizabeth Olds, Omaha Lithograph 16.5 x 12 unframed 743p-006-13 The Preachers Message to the Homeless Men Elizabeth Olds, Omaha Lithograph 12.5 x 22 unframed 743p-152-001 Elizabeth Olds was an artist of the Social Realist ilk who produced these scenes of relief while working for the PWAP in Omaha. Born in Minneapolis in 1896, she studied at the Minneapolis Art Institute and in New York. In 1926 she became the first woman to win the Guggenheim Fellowship for work and study abroad, and spent the next four years in France. In 1932 she came to Omaha on a commission to paint portraits of Samuel Rees' family. Mr. Rees was in the printing business and Olds learned the art of lithography there. She moved back to New York City in 1935 and worked for the WPA graphics program. Later in life she wrote and illustrated children's books and worked as an illustrator-reporter.     The Forgotten Man Gustav Berk, Omaha Oil on Canvas 36.75 x 31 framed 743p-090 A statement, perhaps, on the plight of the white-collar worker who was initially underserved by government aid programs.

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All artwork in this exhibit is Courtesy of the Fine Arts Program, Public Buildings Service, U.S. General Services Administration Commissioned through the New Deal art projects.