Ink, Paper, Politics: WPA-Era Printmaking from the Needles Collection

The Works Progress Administration gave federal financial support to a wide range of artistic projects during the Depression, from fiction to fine art. Of all these forms, however, the printmaking supported by the WPA is perhaps the one of most enduring interest: the design of the program itself, the political climate of the time, and the very nature of printmaking came together to produce a distinctive approach to style and subject matter, impressive technical innovations, and a surprising degree of social fluidity among artists around issues of race and gender.

Ink, Paper, Politics is a beautifully produced catalog that accompanies an exhibition at the DePaul Art Museum in celebration of the generous gift to the museum of one hundred WPA-era prints from the collection of Belverd and Marian Needles. In addition to full-color reproductions of the prints in the exhibition, the book also features essays by leading scholars addressing various aspects of American printmaking in the 1930s, as well as a brief essay by the collector. The result is a wonderful reminder of the stunning artwork that was produced in our name at one of our nation’s darkest times.