This can be considered the largest collection of WPA murals in the country in one location. The actual collection of Norwalk’s WPA murals is more extensive and in many locations. Let’s get into it.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of the New Deal in 1935 at the height of the Great Depression. The goal was to get 3.5 million people off relief and back to work. Over the course of eight years, the WPA Federal Art Project employed some 5,000 artists who were paid by the hour to create more than 2500 murals for public buildings throughout the country.
From 1935 to 1941, WPA artists created more than 50 works of art for Norwalk’s public schools, libraries, and post offices. While much of the WPA art nationally has been lost or destroyed, most of Norwalk’s collection was rescued and restored thanks to leadership from the Historical Commission, private donors, and a grant from the Federal General Services Administration. The Norwalk collection consists of nearly 50 murals, 31 of which are located at City Hall.
Norwalk’s city hall began life as the Norwalk High School. The murals displayed within were installed as part of the WPA project in the high school. For many long-time residents, they remember the original locations of the murals. Of course, they’ve since moved around a bit.
In May of 2014, the Norwalk Arts Commission offered free tours of the WPA mural collection. You may have missed the guided tours, but you can always take a self-guided tour. Download the map pdf here.
Norwalk has one of the largest collections of restored Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals in the country. Artists employed by the government during the Great Depression created 46 murals; 31 are at Norwalk City Hall.
Many of the City Hall murals depict scenes of Norwalk at work between 1935 and 1941. Besides the now-defunct hat manufacturing industry, these murals portray scenes of economic sectors still active in Norwalk today: agriculture, aquaculture/shellfish industry, and the arts, with murals by Alexander J. Rummler and John Steuart Curry. Other notable works include Justin Gruelle’s illustrations of Mark Twain’s works including A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. “Although we have this wonderful collection of WPA murals, few people know about them,” says Dr. Susan Wallerstein, Chairman of the Norwalk Arts Commission and docent. “We’re excited about this opportunity to share the WPA murals with the rest of the community.”
Other mural locations include the Norwalk Transit District, the Norwalk Library and the Maritime Aquarium.
