Thomas Hart Benton  "Watching the Train"  Lithograph  circa 1930

This exhibit highlights prints created during the New Deal era from 1933-1943.  Artists such as Thomas Hart Benton, Charles Reed Gardner, Kyra Markham and Samuel Margolies were hired to document welfare lines, industrial scenes, farm scenes and public transportation throughout the country.  For many artists, these programs served as a catalyst for change as it elevated the artist to a professional status and made art accessible to the common person.