From December 1933 to February 1943, as part of a sprawling economic stimulus package, four federal programs hired artists to create public artworks and provide art-making opportunities to millions of Americans. When this initiative abruptly ended shortly after the US entry into World War II, information and artworks were lost or scattered, long obscuring the story of what had happened in the Northwest. This groundbreaking volume (which accompanies an exhibition at the Tacoma Art Museum) offers the first comprehensive survey of the impact of federal arts projects in the Pacific Northwest. Revealing the striking scope and variety of New Deal regional work―paintings, prints, murals, ceramics, and textiles, and the iconic and influential Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood―this lavishly illustrated exploration will be invaluable to scholars and art lovers alike. Exhibition dates : Tacoma Art Museum, February 22–August 16, 2020 "This highly readable and well-illustrated volume is a compelling tale of bold government action in the arts during hard times in the Northwest."― Oregon Historical Quarterly "Bullock's survey offers a persuasive antidote to cultural amnesia and a rationale for critically evaluating and, yes, collecting and documenting forgotten records of a singular commitment to the artistic enrichment of ordinary American lives."― Pacific Historical Review The first major exploration of the impact of federal art projects in the region ― University of Washington Press Margaret E. Bullock is the interim chief curator and curator of collections and special exhibitions at Tacoma Art Museum, and coauthor of Captive Light: The Life and Photography of Ella E. McBride ; Austere Beauty: The Art of Z. Vanessa Helder ; and A Turbulent Lens: The Photographic Art of Virna Haffer . With contributions by Tiffany Stith Cooper , Roger Hull , David F. Martin , Mindy J. Morgan , Sarah Baker Munro , Sharon Ann Musher, Nina Olsson , Philip Stevens , and Roger van Oosten .