The Committees and the Vision
Once the Civil Works Administration announced its plan to employ 2,500 artists, the next question was simple but crucial: who would decide which artists were hired? The answer revealed the government’s early vision for how American art should be guided—through the leadership of museums.
The Treasury Department created an Advisory Committee on Fine Arts, a group of cultural leaders who would shape the direction of the new program. At its center was Edward Bruce, whose belief in public art would soon define an entire era. Around him were figures from government, economics, and culture, including Frederic A. Delano, Charles F. Moore, Dr. Rexford Tugwell, Henry T. Hunt, and Harry L. Hopkins.
Regional Committees: Museums Take the Helm
To manage the program across the country, the Treasury appointed regional committees—and these committees were dominated by museum directors. Their presence signaled a new idea: that public art should be guided by institutions with experience in curation, preservation, and public taste.
In New York, the committee included Juliana Force of the Whitney Museum, Alfred H. Barr of the Museum of Modern Art, Edward M. M. Warburg, Bryson Burroughs of the Metropolitan Museum, and William Henry Fox of the Brooklyn Museum. Other regions were represented by equally prominent figures: Fiske Kimball in Philadelphia, Homer Saint-Gaudens in Pittsburgh, William Milliken in Cleveland, Louis La Beaume in St. Louis, Ellsworth Woodward in New Orleans, and Duncan Phillips in Washington, D.C.
This structure placed the early New Deal art programs firmly in the hands of museum professionals rather than artists themselves. It was a decision that would shape both the strengths and the controversies of the program.
A National Vision Takes Shape
The committees were charged with identifying public buildings that could benefit from murals, sculpture, and craftsmanship. Federal courthouses, post offices, schools, libraries, and municipal buildings all became potential sites for art. The goal was not only to employ artists, but to bring art into the daily life of the American public.
This was the beginning of a national cultural infrastructure—one that would eventually lead to the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, the Treasury Relief Art Project, and the WPA Federal Art Project. But in December 1933, it was still an experiment, guided by museum directors who believed that art could uplift a nation in crisis.
The Gatekeepers of a New Era
By placing museum leaders at the center of the program, the government signaled its belief that public art should be shaped by those with experience in stewardship and public engagement. It was a bold choice—and one that would soon spark controversy as artists’ organizations demanded a greater voice.
But for now, in the early days of the program, the vision was clear: art would be public, professional, and guided by institutions that understood its power.