95 The Work of the WPA

The Great Depression that followed the stock market crash of 1929 saw hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work. In this era of great fear and despair, citizens looked desperately to the federal government for assistance. Of all the programs devised by President Roosevelt when he took office in 1932, few were more criticized—or had more lasting impact—than the Work Projects Administration, better known as the WPA.

The intent of the WPA, which functioned from 1935 to 1943, was to devise and administer public works projects to help relieve unemployment. The majority of these projects involved historic or artistic endeavors. The WPA’s Writers Project, for example, was responsible not only for such practical works as state guidebooks but also for the compilation of historically valuable oral histories. Over 2,900 of these records were collected in 24 states. They provide an irreplaceable firsthand account of people’s diets, customs, celebrations, and political and religious beliefs at the time.

The artworks created through the Federal Arts Project are one of the WPA’s most lasting achievements. Out-of-work painters, both famous and unknown, created murals that beautified schools, libraries, and government buildings. WPA photographers traveled across the country, recording the hardships of life on small rural farms. When the United States entered World War II, WPA artists were enlisted to produce posters supporting the war effort. Many WPA artworks, including hundreds of small drawings depicting scenes of everyday life, still exist today.

95 公共事业振兴署的工作

1929年股市崩盘后爆发的大萧条，导致数十万美国人失业。在这个充满恐惧和绝望的时代，民众绝望地向联邦政府寻求援助。在罗斯福总统1932年就职后设计的所有项目中，很少有项目像公共事业振兴署（更广为人知的是WPA）那样饱受批评，同时又产生了更持久的影响。

WPA从1935年运作到1943年，其目的是设计并管理公共工程项目，以帮助缓解失业问题。这些项目大多涉及历史或艺术方面的工作。例如，WPA的作家项目不仅负责编写州指南这类实用作品，还负责整理具有历史价值的口述史。这些记录在24个州收集了超过2900份，它们提供了当时人们的饮食、习俗、庆典以及政治和宗教信仰的第一手资料，这些资料是不可替代的。

通过联邦艺术项目创作的艺术品，是WPA最持久的成就之一。失业的画家（无论知名与否）创作了美化学校、图书馆和政府建筑的壁画。WPA的摄影师走遍全国，记录小型农村农场的生活困境。当美国加入第二次世界大战时，WPA的艺术家们被征召制作支持战争的海报。许多WPA的艺术品，包括数百幅描绘日常生活场景的小幅画作，至今仍然存在。