Anonymous
Applied Design Block Printed Textiles
Color wood block on cotton
Racine Art Museum, WPA, Wisconsin FAP, Milwaukee WPA Handicraft Project
Photography: Jon Bolton
Women and the WPA: As Seen Through RAM’s Collection
March 1 – September 16, 2023
at Racine Art Museum
Artwork produced through the Federal Art Project/Works Progress Administration (FAP/WPA) has long been a part of the Wustum Museum of Fine Arts and Racine Art Museum history, so there have been several showings of it over the years. Early gifts of WPA artwork—primarily textiles, drawings, watercolors, prints, and photography—also foreshadowed the collecting directions of Wustum and RAM with an emphasis on contemporary craft, works on paper, and works by women. However, this is the first exhibition focused primarily on the role of women artists associated with the WPA in RAM’s collection.
As seen through their artwork, these women artists reflected on the world around them—capturing the social, cultural, and everyday climate of a nation battling financial depression and somewhat unknowingly on the brink of a world war. While specific artists can be linked with the works on paper, most of the textile samples are attributed to anonymous craftspeople associated with the Milwaukee Handicraft Project (MHP). The MHP was a landmark Wisconsin-based endeavor that employed over 5,000 people—mainly women and many of color—to create handcrafted domestic-oriented goods to be sold to schools, libraries, and other public institutions.
Women and the WPA highlights a significant moment in American art and history through works on paper, textiles, and other objects associated with the MHP—including a recently acquired doll jacket and large fabric swatches.
Please note that because this is a long exhibition showcasing pieces made of fragile materials, some works—and therefore some artists—will be changed midway through.
More About the Exhibition
Artists in the Exhibition
Anonymous women associated with the MHP, Berenice Abbott, Kendrick Bell, Marie H. Bleck, Fritzi Brod, Ludwig Cinatl, Mabel Dwight, Blanche M. Grambs, Jolán Gross-Bettelheim, Elizabeth Olds, Dora Rappaport, Agnes Jessen Slater, Elizabeth E. Terrell, Camilla Travanti Wichman, and Edmund Wichman
Women and the WPA: As Seen Through RAM’s Collection
March 1 – September 16, 2023
at Racine Art Museum
Anonymous
Applied Design Block Printed Textiles
Color wood block on cotton
Racine Art Museum, WPA, Wisconsin FAP, Milwaukee WPA Handicraft Project
Photography: Jon Bolton
Artwork produced through the Federal Art Project/Works Progress Administration (FAP/WPA) has long been a part of the Wustum Museum of Fine Arts and Racine Art Museum history, so there have been several showings of it over the years. Early gifts of WPA artwork—primarily textiles, drawings, watercolors, prints, and photography—also foreshadowed the collecting directions of Wustum and RAM with an emphasis on contemporary craft, works on paper, and works by women. However, this is the first exhibition focused primarily on the role of women artists associated with the WPA in RAM’s collection.
As seen through their artwork, these women artists reflected on the world around them—capturing the social, cultural, and everyday climate of a nation battling financial depression and somewhat unknowingly on the brink of a world war. While specific artists can be linked with the works on paper, most of the textile samples are attributed to anonymous craftspeople associated with the Milwaukee Handicraft Project (MHP). The MHP was a landmark Wisconsin-based endeavor that employed over 5,000 people—mainly women and many of color—to create handcrafted domestic-oriented goods to be sold to schools, libraries, and other public institutions.
Women and the WPA highlights a significant moment in American art and history through works on paper, textiles, and other objects associated with the MHP—including a recently acquired doll jacket and large fabric swatches.
Please note that because this is a long exhibition showcasing pieces made of fragile materials, some works—and therefore some artists—will be changed midway through.
More About the Exhibition
Artists in the Exhibition
Anonymous women associated with the MHP, Berenice Abbott, Kendrick Bell, Marie H. Bleck, Fritzi Brod, Ludwig Cinatl, Mabel Dwight, Blanche M. Grambs, Jolán Gross-Bettelheim, Elizabeth Olds, Dora Rappaport, Agnes Jessen Slater, Elizabeth E. Terrell, Camilla Travanti Wichman, and Edmund Wichman
Sample of Work in the Exhibition
Click/tap an image for more information
Installation View
Exhibitions at RAM are made possible by:
Platinum Sponsors
The Estate of Karen Johnson Boyd
David Charak
Judith and David Flegel Fund
Ron and Judith Isaacs
Nicholas and Nancy Kurten
Barbara Waldman
Windgate Foundation
Diamond Sponsors
City of Racine’s Grow Racine Grant
Ruffo Family Foundation
Ruth Arts Foundation
Gold Sponsors
Anonymous
Tom and Irene Creecy
Richard and Patricia Ehlert
Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation
Reliance Controls Community Fund
Trio Foundation of St. Louis
W.T. Walker Group, Inc.
Silver Sponsors
Anonymous
Baird
Beta Diagnostic Labs
A.C. Buhler Family
Lucy G. Feller
Ben and Dawn Flegel
Jim Harris
Sharon and Tom Harty
Horizon Retail Construction, Inc.
Johnson Financial Group
Dorothy MacVicar
Jan Serr and John Shannon
Bronze Sponsors
Ellen and Joseph Albrecht
Susan Boland
Dave’s Wine Garage
Educators Credit Union
Express Employment Professionals
Bill and Debbie Keland
Susan Manalli
Jean and Alex Mandli, Jr.
Norbell Foundation
Cathy Stanghellini
Twin Disc
Media Sponsor
