View original document

The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.

4-2154

FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY
WOR.X PROJECTS ADMINISTBAT~ON

For Release to 1-:ewspa,pers
Sunday , .August 11, 1940

HARRINGTON INVITES WOFLD 1 S FAIR VISITORS TO SEE WPA E:X:EIBIT
Colonel F . C. Harrington, Co:nmissi oner of Work Projects,
today urged all visitors to the Hew York World ' s Fair this summer
to include the WPA exhibit in the Federal \forks Agency Building in
their sightseeing itinera.r;r .
11

l~o one can witness this impressj_ve dj_splay of what the

unem1)loyed have created in exchange for their work relief wages
without b e ing forcefully i!:lpressed by the impor t ance of a work :program to our natfonal woll- being, 11 Colonel Harrineton declared .
"That the morale and t ho pl:.ysical welfare of tho unom::;loyc-ct
have been sustr.incd through the •,,:ork prograrr. is gcncrall~r recognized.
What is not so well known is that t hese samG uno:.1ployec_ lr~borors,
ar tisans and :profcssioni>.l wo rkors h2. ve made poworf11l nddi tions to our
national wo1:,lth.
schools .

They hc.'lvo built ro ads , 'b ri clgcs , ::i.irports o..nd

Tho:r hn.vo improved the physical plont of our Arrny r· nd N:::.vy .

They have tf'ug:U the illi tora to to road [llld wr i to; brought mccUc2..l and
nursing care to the dos ti tute, arid ho[),l thful recreation to millions
of slum children .
11 The

World's Fair exhibit mo.kes t hose fr,cts strikingly r:,nd

dramr,,ticnlly clc[).r .

An hour I s visit to this buildin:; vdll m1,.ole the

Visitor to evalu.'.\te the work which the unemployed hc:-.. ve done , ns well
as wh[',,t tho;r arc C[tp.'.'.ble of doing in a time of omorge:1.cy . 11
Digitized by

Original from

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

4-2154

-

2 -

Approxi matel y 500 , 000 persons alre.3-ll.y have vi sited t he
WPA exhibit since the opening of the Fair , Colonol Harring ton added .
This year ' s exhibit is houserl in the sE:.me building with
other agencies co mprising the Federa l Works Agency .

The g&neral

dosi~n of the building is that of a horseshoe , with the open portion
in the con tor developed with flowers a.'1d shrubbery as a ga rden .
Within this area there is a bandshell · and seats comprising an outdoor au.d.i torium.

:-row

by t~1c

Throughout the day. musical pcrforme.nccs arc gi vcn

Yorlr Symphonic :Band and po:rYJ.lar d:m co orchcs trn s of the

New York WPA Music Projoct.

I n addition , there ?ra r ogu.ln.rly

scheclul8d d?nce recitals b~r WP.A folk dnr:..cc groups , m d tho :'._)Crformo..ncos
of the now- fFtmous Dr . Zip , an old-time circus clown who directs his
peculiar t a lents to juvenile health instruction .
Within tho build ing arc a r.umbor of di s:pl,qs d:'.lpicting
va rious typ ps of '\•!PA projects .
being

11 Work 11

--

11 Wo!'k

The theme of this :;e[l.r 1 s exhibit

is the righ t of evor;/ Americar. , 11 "Work builds

batt e r comqunitics , 11 "Wo r k , the basis of cu.lturo, 11 etc . -- many of
the eY.hi'bi ts consist of incti vidUD.l workors actua.lly performing their
project tasks.

Other n ctivi ti es arc depicted by :pnG togra~hs , models

a:i.d d.ioro...rnas .

One of th10 most i::1tcrosting of tho latte:..· shows LaGuardia
Airp ort
minia t'.lre .
and

n,

onl~r

:i

mile d i sk.nt fror.1 tho fair si tc -- in fc.,i t hful

The diorc'.ma is supplemon t8d "oy f our l<1rgc movinJ m0dels

rcc::irdod :1.::crrn.tior. which e:x:plai:1S the detrd ls of t }10 airfield

and its construction.
Digitized by

Original from

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

4-2154
- 3 "'

The WPA Art Program occupies a sepc,ra te building nnd
hns n,ssen,bled an exhibition of mode r n Ame ric::m nrt wh ich has r ece ivod ~ar m praise fr om critics .

Pn.rt of ths buil d ing i s devo t ed

to wo r ~,;: cone -D;r workers on WPA art p r oje cts throu 6 ~1out t :10 co1ntry
whil e the r em"-inde r is g iven ove r to showings o,rrn:1ged b;y o t he r
coop r) r n tin 6 ar t groups .

An outs t m1ding fe~, tnre of t ho exh ibit

this yon.r .:'. r e the wo rkst.opG i n whi cr~ p:'..inter ~, scul;it ,, :cs, print
rnD.kcrs m,d ot:hers from th8 New York City Art Pr ojec t pursue the ir
r cgulnr r:.ctivitic s in full view of vi sit0 r s .

Guidos c,rc on rwnd

t o explaia the vnrious prn ces ~;c s .

0

- - - -

Digitized by

Original from

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY