The New Deal Mural
In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt became President of the United States. Franklin D. Roosevelt promised he could get Americans working again. In his first 100 days he proposed an economic reform calling it the “New Deal.” He had a team of advisors that designed agencies such as the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration), which started getting our farmers going again, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), which built fire towers and they also planted millions of trees and NRA (National Recovery Administration). These agencies started to employ Americans again, support farm prices, and regulated wages and prices. Schools and railroads were being built again Americans were earning wages again. The New Deal also funded the WPA (works of public administration) and part of that program included funding for artists to create posters & murals, some of which are depicted in the front corner of the room with the US flag. Many of these works are still up in public buildings throughout the US.
The students will brainstorm a list of programs under the new deal anddiscuss how to represent them. Each teacher’s classes will create a giant muralto depict their images of the New Deal.
Medium Info-
Mural Paper
Pencil
Ruler
Colored Pencils
Crayons
Lesson Steps-
Volunteers please explain that students will be creating their own sketch to contribute to amural representing some items that played an important part of getting Americans back on their feet after the Great Depression and known as the New Deal. To allow everyone an opportunity to contribute and have enough work space, students can break into groups to work on different sections of the mural and others can work on separate papers to be glued on to the mural after they are drawn and colored.
NOTE: There is no need to sign your name on the mural; everyone is contributing. It is a collaborative class project. Remind students to respect each others’ space and contribution.
Setup: Spread out your large mural paper on the group of tables in the center of the room. You may want to tape it down on the corners. You can set crayons out & pencils, erasers/colored pencils, etc. Set some paper & coloring materials on the other tables too for independent groups.
Brainstorm: On the dry erase board, each class will brainstorm their own list of about 10 projects funded by the new deal
We found it helpful for one volunteer to lead the discussion and another to record the programs/ideas on the board. Have the teacher help interject or ask what the various departments or agencies contributed.
Discuss how we might depict each project. (ie. Farm programs might depict crops such as corn or hay, tractors, barns, silos, fields, animals, etc. But note that in most New Deal art, it is important to show American people working, on the move, busy & living a cheerful, productive & hopeful life.) Samples of art are on the bulletin board and samples are provided to depict fire towers, railroads, corn, etc.
Have the students take a look at the murals in the corner of the room. These were commissioned pieces; discuss how the government was paying and how they might have wanted their art to look & feel.
Note, as you discuss how to depict, you can also discuss that the scale of this project is large, so if students are drawing large fields/highways/landscapes, they may choose to switch their medium from colored pencils to crayons, peel the crayons and use them sideways to cover more surface.
Mural work: After your 5-10 minute discussion, split the class into 5 or more groups and have teams select one item/project to depict.
Fit as many as comfortable can around the large tables in the center of the room. Standing may work better than sitting. The others can work at the other tables on separate papers that can be cut out &/or attached to the mural when they are complete. Tape worked best for this.
The mural needs a title! 1 group can work on the title of the mural: “Work Pays America,” was suggested, but let them be creative. Have them design the lettering and add a bit of Americana. Use red, white and blue, stars, stripes, etc. The title words can be drawn on drawing paper and attached to the mural if you like.
Hang your Mural: Please either hang the mural outside your teacher’s classroom or deliver it to them if they want to put it in their room. (Ask them.)
We had a bunch of extra individual papers – some complete and some not. We tried to display as much completed work as possible and had to put some individual papers across the hall from our mural… Again, please ask your teachers before class ends where they would like the work displayed.