Oregon New Deal Art

New Deal/WPA Art in Oregon

Post Office New Deal Artwork

Most of the Post Office works of art were funded through commissions under the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture (later known as The Section of Fine Arts) and not the WPA.

"Often mistaken for WPA art, post office murals were actually executed by artists working for the Section of Fine Arts. Commonly known as "the Section," it was established in 1934 and administered by the Procurement Division of the Treasury Department. Headed by Edward Bruce, a former lawyer, businessman, and artist, the Section's main function was to select art of high quality to decorate public buildings if the funding was available. By providing decoration in public buildings, the art was made accessible to all people." from "Articles from EnRoute : Off The Wall: New Deal Post Office Murals" by Patricia Raynor

Unless indicated, works of art are located in the US Post Office building.

Location	Artist	Title	Date	Medium
Burns	Jack Wilkinson	"Cattle Roundup"	1941	oil on canvas
Eugene	Carl Morris	"Willamette Valley Lumber, Farming and Husbandry"	1943	oil on canvas
Grants Pass	Louis DeMott Bunce	"Rogue River Indians"	1938	tempera
Grants Pass	Eric Lamade	"Early and Contemporary Industries"	1938	tempera
Newberg	Rockwell Carey	"Early Mail Carriers of the West"	1937	oil on canvas
Ontario	Edmond J. Fitzgerald	"Trail to Oregon"	1938	oil on canvas
Portland, East Portland Branch	Paul Grellert	"Post Rider"	1936	mural
Saint Johns	John Ballator (Eric Lamade and Louis DeMott Bunce, assistants)	"Development of St. Johns" and composite of activities significant in the development of the area	1936	north wall (funded by Section), south wall (funded by TRAP)
Salem	Andrew McD. Vincent	"Builders of Salem"	1942	oil on canvas
Tillamook	Lucia Wiley	"Captain Gray Entering Tillamook Bay"	1943	fresco secco

All mural images depicted on this site are used with permission
of the United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

Source:
Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
by Marlene Park & Gerald E. Markowitz

Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon

There is a video available about Timberline Lodge: "The Builders of Timberline" (1986) Director: Jim Swenson. Mt. Hood's Timberline Lodge remains the crown jewel of the WPA legacy in Oregon, an architectural and artistic landmark. Using vintage construction footage and photographs, interviews with craftsmen and project organizers, and present-day views, Swenson weaves a moving portrait of the people and times that built this lasting treasure. (30 minutes) (contact Friends of Timberline Lodge)

Pendleton, Oregon
There is a video entitled "Restoring C.S. Price" (1990) produced by students at the Pendleton High School with artist-in-residence Larry Johnson as part of the Northwest Film Center's Young Filmmakers Program. "Restoring C.S. Price" examines the life and work of one of Oregon's most important painters. In addition to celebrating Price's legacy, the film traces the restoration of two of Price's WPA murals, painted in the 1930s that hang in the high school. (25 minutes) (Contact the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission at: encanto@ochcom.org)

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