The stone sculpture at this site, entitled “Alice in Wonderland,” was likely made by Emmanuel Viviano with WPA Federal Art Project funding. Based on this post from 2009 0n the MIR Appraisal Services blog, the sculpture may have been relocated:… read more
This oil on canvas mural “Early Farmers” by Karl Kelpe, and a companion piece (“Pioneers”), were originally in the main entrance of the old Julian School building. They were painted in 1936 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project…. read more
This oil on canvas mural, entitled “Child and Sports–Summer” was painted by Ethel Spears in 1937. It is a companion piece to “Child and Sports–Winter” at the Percy Julian Middle School. Both murals were originally installed at the Lowell School…. read more
This site originally displayed four oil on canvas murals, entitled “American Characters,” painted by Mildred Waltrip in 1938 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project. Two of the murals were removed in 1995 and placed in storage after a… read more
This oil on canvas mural, entitled “Community Life of Oak Park in the 19th Century,” was painted in 1936 by Emmanuel Jacobson and Ralf Henricksen, with assistance from Charles Copeland and Irene Biannucci. The work was funded by the WPA… read more
This carving, entitled “The Wild Beasts,” hangs in the library of Lincoln Elementary School. It was designed by Andrene Kauffman and carved from oak by C. Svec.
In Feb. 1936 the Tribune reported Oak Park would be building a new branch of their public library thanks to a grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA). Library directors proposed the idea for the expansion. They wanted the South… read more
Frances Badger completed these two oil-on-canvas murals, entitled “Sailor with Spyglass” and “Treasure Island,” in 1936 with funds provided by the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project. They were originally painted for the Louis Stevenson Playground but have… read more
Karl Kelpe painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled “Pioneers,” in 1936 with WPA Federal Art Project funding. It measures 16’11” by 8′. From the New Deal Art Registry: “This mural and a companion piece “(“Early Farmers”) were originally in… read more
This oil on canvas mural “Child and Sports–Winter” measures 16’10” by 6’2.” It was painted by Ethel Spears in 1937 with WPA Federal Art Project funding. The mural was originally at the Lowell School in Oak Park. Its companion piece, ‘Child… read more
The Oak Park post office was designed to accommodate the village’s growing population which rose from 39,858 in 1920 to 80,000 in 1930. Congress appropriated $600,000 prior to new deal legislation in 1931 with an additional $70,000 appropriated in 1935… read more
“J. Theodore Johnson is best known for the four murals he created for the Oak Park post office in Chicago” (https://americanart.si.edu). The murals were funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1939. Each depicts a historically significant moment… read more