The Woodchopper, by Thomas Hart Benton
Tammy Bearden
The third and final lecture in the series presented by the SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild, in partnership with the University of Arizona Museum of Art, will take place on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Ballroom West in the MountainView Clubhouse. The presenter will be docent Brack Brown, who will discuss The Art of the Great Depression. For artists, the New Deal meant that the Federal Government, for the first time, became a major patron of the arts. One result was that a staggering volume of paintings, prints, posters, murals and sculptures were produced. The Federal Arts Project explicitly warned the artists to avoid abstract, expressionist, symbolic and modernist styles. The emphasis was to be on Realism (including Social Realism), Regionalism and “The American Scene.” Ordinary Americans at work and play was a dominant theme, though some social protest art was also produced. Much of the art was for public buildings of all kinds, where people had regular access and could see and admire the works for free. For the first time a distinctive body of American art was produced. Art was no longer for the wealthy; it didn’t have to come from Europe and artists deserved to be employed, respected and patronized using public funds. Brack Brown has a science and social science degree from Syracuse University and has had teaching positions at SUNY Albany, Drew University, Sacramento State and George Mason University. An extensive world traveler, he has led numerous student groups on study tours of Central Europe and Central America. A gifted lecturer and storyteller, Brack is popular with our UAMA outreach audiences.
Please mark your calendars and plan to come early for coffee. As always, the lecture is free. And remember, the venue has changed to the West Ballroom in the MountainView Clubhouse. We look forward to seeing you.