Opportunity and Access: African American Artists and the Federal Art Project
The New Deal art projects were created to provide financial relief to artists in the form of employment during the Depression. Eligible artists were paid by the federal government to utilize their expertise, often in the public sphere. This represents an unprecedented moment in American cultural history. By design the Federal Art Project (FAP) was “race blind;” many Black artists hoped these programs would redress their chronic disadvantages and professional isolation. But historians struggle to reconcile optimism about expanded opportunity and non-discrimination with the fact of low participation numbers. The structure and requirements of the FAP ultimately shaped choices open to Black artists, many of whom were assigned to educational projects established to serve racially segregated populations. These community art centers combined technical instruction and art appreciation with a social service mentality. Although FAP administrators sought to address the needs of the Black artistic community, they were unwilling to challenge existing norms or address the consequences of institutional discrimination. The revolutionary vision of the New Deal art projects, and their legacy with respect to African American artists, must thus be understood in the context of access to opportunity mediated by the realities of segregation and systemic racism.

Mary Ann Calo is Batza Professor of Art and Art History, Emerita, at Colgate University. During her 25 years at Colgate, Professor Calo taught courses on modern and contemporary art history, the arts and public policy, and the art of the United States. She also served as Chair of the Art and Art History Department, Associate Dean of the Faculty, and Director of the Division of Arts and Humanities. Calo is the author of three books and numerous articles. Her most recent book, African American Artists and the New Deal Art Programs (2023), focuses on the experiences of Black artists on the federally funded art initiatives of the 1930s.