New Deal Art in Alabama

As the United States struggled to recover from the Great Depression, 24 towns in Alabama would directly benefit from some of the $83 million allocated by the Federal Government for public art works under the New Deal. In the words of Harold Lloyd Hopkins, administrator of the Federal Emergency Relief Act, “artists had to eat, too,” and these funds aided people who needed employment during this difficult period in American history.
This book examines some of the New Deal art—murals, reliefs, sculptures, frescoes and paintings—of Alabama and offers biographical sketches of the artists who created them. An appendix describes federal art programs and projects of the period (1933–1943).

Anita Price Davis, a North Carolina native, Gold Star daughter, and Duke University graduate, retired as the Charles A. Dana Professor of Education Emerita after 36 years at Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina. She is the author of many historical books and articles.
Veterinarian Jimmy S. Emerson, Alabama native, is dedicated to photographic documentation of aspects of vanishing rural and small town America, including the many New Deal artworks across the United States. He lives and works in Dalton, Georgia.

Anita Price Davis and Jimmy S. Emerson
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 232
Bibliographic Info: 96 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9829-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2114-2
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Preface  1
Introduction  3
Federal Art and Artists in Alabama During the Great Depression
Alexander City 9
Atmore 18
Bay Minette 24
Brewton 31
Carrollton 39
Enterprise 47
Eutaw 54
Fairfield 62
Fort Payne 68
Guntersville 77
Haleyville 83
Hartselle 90
Huntsville 97
Luverne 105
Monroeville 112
Montevallo 119
Oneonta 125
Opp 131
Ozark 138
Phenix City 144
Russellville 150
Scottsboro 159
Tuscumbia 168
Tuskegee 174
Appendix: Federal Art Projects Between 1933 and 1943  181
Notes  192
Bibliography  209
Index  219