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This Is Fear Itself

1/15/2016

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by Ennis Carter
Director, Social Impact Studios & Posters for the People
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It’s hard to acknowledge the failings of a hero. All too often we overlook the bad actions of the people we admire, focusing on the sum of their work and turning a blind eye to glaring mistakes. Sometimes we swing to the opposite extreme of disavowing them entirely when we are confronted with flaws in leadership and very bad decisions.
 
Yesterday was the 74th anniversary of Franklin Roosevelt’s Proclamation No. 2537, which led the way for the internment of Japanese-Americans in our own country that same year. It’s a sad moment in the legacy of a leader who once represented pure optimism and hope and is an example of wartime fear that surfaced during the end of his reign as our 32nd President.
 
Our latest addition to the Posters for the People archive gives us the opportunity to address a full spectrum of what was promoted by FDR’s administration, to look more deeply at these two very different approaches to messaging, and to take note of how relevant they are today.
 
As we kick off a year-long celebration of the 80th anniversary of the WPA Poster Division, it is important for us to acknowledge how the full output of the program mirrored the tone and values of Franklin Roosevelt’s administration that it represented - and to show how the power of this propaganda effort transitioned from a positive and hopeful position to one steeped in a wartime economy and fear. This exploration doesn’t discount the importance of the original Progressive vision of the New Deal, in my opinion. If anything, it raises questions about priorities, democratic values and what works to motivate the human spirit in the face of adversity.
 
Earlier this week, we announced an exciting partnership with The Historic New Orleans Collection that adds 49 new posters to the comprehensive archive. Many of the beautiful posters in this collection were generated toward the end of the WPA Poster Division around 1942 – and specifically for what became the WPA War Poster Services dept. until it was entirely disbanded in 1943. They share a style and tone with other WPA posters from that same time period. Examples from that moment represent the abandonment of Progressive economic recovery that focused on rebuilding infrastructure in favor of a wartime economy.
 
What’s more striking, though, is their shift away from a visionary, hopeful and positive ideal of a better America to a more suspicious and fearful tone that includes jarring racist imagery. Propaganda has always had the potential to be used in this way. It seems easier to get attention with scare tactics and divisive messages than solutions and vision represented with mature resolve. Maybe it’s because the end results are hard to imagine and even harder to attain – requiring an unwavering commitment to values that feels impossible.
 
This is where strong leadership is critical. The role of propaganda is to convey the value of specific ideas held by a culture - often through strong leaders. Its job is to convince viewers to act in ways that support those ideas. It is very powerful and carries a lot of responsibility - and their makers know it. That’s why the WPA posters that are racist and demeaning are especially disappointing. They don’t just represent a limited view by the designer - they represent the ruling power. Even worse, they represent the worst tendency in human nature to debase others as a way to elevate power itself. It’s too easy. These kinds of posters miss the opportunity to face the creative challenge of engaging the viewer, while still representing difficult decisions with democratic and moral values.
 
We include these posters in the archive because our goal is to document and present ALL of the posters that were created under this government program. Excluding them would erase an ugly truth. But, we have made it a policy not to sell any reproductions of posters that contain racist or demeaning content.
 
One of the things I like the most about Posters for the People is its surprising relevance to today. The idea of building a strong America that values health, culture, education and enterprise never grows old. We need that now just as much as when Roosevelt campaigned for a fearless New Deal. Sadly, the same tired fear mongering that took over in his third term is rearing its head today. We are reminded of mistakes like Japanese-American internment that shouldn’t be allowed to happen again just because we were willing to sacrifice our commitment to freedom and democracy out of fear.
 
Our country’s current leader, President Obama, summoned the courage of that commitment nicely in his last State of the Union address this week.
 
“That's why we need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn't a matter of political correctness. It's a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith…When politicians insult Muslims, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid bullied, that doesn't make us safer. That's not telling it like it is. It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. And it betrays who we are as a country.”
 
It’s not an easy position to uphold when we are scared of real and present danger. And that’s why reinforcing such a message is so important.

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49 New Posters Added to Archive!

1/14/2016

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We are excited to start off this 80th Anniversary year of the WPA Poster Division with a collection of new poster images courtesy of The Historic New Orleans Collection.
 
The private collection in New Orleans has the largest set of pre-war and wartime posters we’ve seen and adds 49 new items that aren’t documented in any other archive!
 
This is also an important find because the beautifully design posters are uncharacteristically signed by the artists who created them. Most shops in the poster division did not permit workers to credit their art (you might find some hidden signatures throughout the archive, though!)
 
Some of these posters raise difficult questions about the types of messages and images designed by this propaganda effort of the Roosevelt administration. While we take very seriously the job of documenting ALL posters created under the WPA, we also have made it a policy not to sell any reproductions of the few posters that depict racist of demeaning content.
 
More of the posters are just really great examples of the public issues of the era. We hope you enjoy looking through this new addition to the public record!

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May 16th Event on Roosevelt Island!

4/27/2015

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Join us to learn more about the posters of the WPA at this FREE silkscreen and book talk event in Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
1pm - 4pm


During the depths of the Great Depression, the U.S. government became a vital patron of the arts, employing hundreds of artists to create millions of posters promoting positive social ideals and programs as well as a uniquely American way of life. Over 35,000 posters were made during this time.

Throughout the day, you will have the opportunity to screen-print your own Four Freedoms poster (and other WPA designs) during a hands-on workshop. At 2:30pm, you will hear from the Posters for the People's book author and founder of Social Impact Studios, Ennis Carter, about the impact of WPA and her efforts to continue its legacy. Please see below for directions and registration information. 

Register Here

Map

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Celebrating Katherine Milhous

3/1/2015

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In celebration of Women's History Month, March's featured poster is by Katherine Milhous. Here is her story.

KATHERINE MILHOUS Born 1894, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died 1977, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Katherine Milhous created some of the most distinctive posters produced by the WPA. She was a supervisor of the FAP in Philadelphia (her birthplace and lifelong home) from 1935 to 1940. Milhous often incorporated the folk traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch communities in her poster designs. Her deep affection for the locality's history and people is apparent in her depictions of the Amish and Mennonites.

Milhous was educated at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts before joining the FAP. An exhibition of her posters in a FAP gallery attracted the attention of a children's book editor at Charles Scribner's Sons, where she as a staff designer 1944 - 1946, and launched her successful career as an award-winning children's book illustrator.

In 1938 her first book as writer and illustrator, Once Upon a Time, was published. It was followed by other titles including Snow Over Bethlehem (1945), With Bells On (1955), and Through These Arches: The Story of Independence Hall (1964). She received the American Library Association's Caldecott Medal, honoring the most distinguished picture book for children for The Egg Tree (1950).

Milhous was a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Her work was exhibited at the 1939 New York World's Fair and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

See Katherine Milhous' work in the archive here.

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Original Home of Philly Poster Division Shop to be Demolished February 2015

2/26/2015

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A building with ties to the Philadelphia WPA poster division at 311 South Broad Street in Philadelphia is set to be demolished in late February 2015. From spotty records, we've been able to identify that this was the building that likely housed the Federal Art Project's Poster Division in Philadelphia in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Legend has it that the first floor was home to a night club and the second floor was the studio and production area for the artists and printers. Led by Director Katherine Milhous, - a prolific poster artist in her own right - this division in our hometown of Philly created some of the most beautiful and powerful posters in the archive.

Here is a site-specific, street art homage to the poster artists who worked in the building in remembrance of their contribution to beautiful public art.
(click on thumbnails to view full images)
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LIMITED EDITIONS! Silkscreen Repros

12/15/2014

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Henry Vizcarra Silkscreen Reproductions Now Available through Posters for the People

Thanks to Henry Vizcarra, we now have a limited number of large format  reproductions available as hand-made silkscreen posters suitable for framing.

Henry Vizcarra is a long time collector and supporter of the efforts to document and celebrate the posters made during the WPA era. He helped produce the original book on the subject "WPA Posters" by Christopher DeNoon and continues to curate exhibits and share information on the subject.

Through a partnership with Posters for the People, Henry has made a limited number of silkcreen reproductions available for the public! Check them out here.
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Give Cool Gifts AND Support this Project!

11/23/2014

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Did you know that Posters for the People is a self-funded project?
We maintain the largest public record of WPA posters known to exist and continue field research whenever we can to keep it growing. We fund it all through the sale of the book and poster reproductions.

You can support us this season by shopping for beautiful and cool gifts on our new website. The book amasses 500+ of the most meaningful examples of this social legacy and you can get custom prints of over 600 posters from the archive in time for holiday gifts!

With so many social and everyday topics covered, there’s something for every interest!
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Posters for the People Opening Oct 25 2014

10/18/2014

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Posters for the People now has a permanent home! When the exhibit isn't on the road, you can see originals, reproductions and the New Deal film festival here. Books & repros available too. Get more info & hours here.



Gallery Opening Party
Oct 25, 2014  4pm-10pm+

525 S. 4th Street, Studio 589
Philadelphia, PA 19147

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Visit to Historic New Orleans Collection Yields 43 Uncataloged Posters!

10/8/2014

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PictureArtist: Al Doria
During a recent trip to the Big Easy, Ennis Carter and her husband Phil unearthed an astounding collection of WPA posters within the resources of the Historic New Orleans Collection.

By getting a first-hand look at more than 60 posters in pristine condition, they documented 43 posters that haven’t been catalogued by the federal government! We are excited to add these new gems to the ever-growing Living Archive.

We’d like to thank Mary Lou Eichhorn for assisting us at the Collection. She spent the extra effort to help surface these and joined in our delight when we told her the news. What they thought was a “handful” of posters, turned out to be a real treasure of predominantly War & Defense subject pieces – mostly related to the New Orleans area. Thanks, Mary Lou, we couldn’t have done it without you!

We hope to drum up the resources to have these posters scanned so we can share their images with the American public through the Archive. In the meantime, we’ll be inputting the data so their existence will be on record.

Stay tuned! Get on our e-mail list of follow us on Facebook.

About the Repository
The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to the study and preservation of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South region. Learn more.

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Jerome Roth

10/6/2014

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WPA Artist, New York Poster Division

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by Nettie Roth

Jerome Henry Roth, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 90, started painting in elementary school. On graduating from James Monroe High School in the Bronx, he was awarded a scholarship tot he Art Students League. He went on to graduate from Pratt Institute while working as the youngest member of the poster division of the WPA (Works Progress Administration of the Great Depression). As the 16-year-old who talked his way into being taken on as a full-fledged artist, he was mentored by Bauhaus-trained project supervisor Richard Floethe. Under Floethe's mentoring he designed posters for the U.S. Tourist Bureau, Orson Welles Theatre, concerts and the U.S. Department of Health. He painted in oils, watercolor and gouache during this period, as well as doing whimsical line drawings.

Following the WPA, Roth sought employment in the private sector and was hired as graphic assistant to well known designer Herbert Bayer. He later worked at Warner Brothers, producing posters and souvenir books for movies, including Yankee Doodle Dandy.

During World War II Roth volunteered with the U.S. Army Air Corps and flew 30 missions over Germany as the lead bombardier-navigator-radar (code-named "Mickey"). He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After returning from the war, Roth resumed drawing and painting. His paintings have been shown extensively over the years with one-man shows at Andrea Marquit Fine Arts Boston, MA; Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY; Overseas Press Club, New York City; Nardin Fine Art, Cross River, NY, and Modernism Gallery, Coral Gables, FL. He participated in numerous group shows including Susan Teller Gallery, Salmagundi Club and Kaufman Art Gallery, New York City; as well as Silvermine Guild, New Canaan, CT; and Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY.

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