The WPA & The Reimagining of American Life

This exhibit will explore how President Roosevelt utilized both legislative policy and creative action to change the fabrics of America to allow for a different lifestyle- one that did not solely prioritize labor. Before the 1930s, labor was radically different; workers had little power, child labor was prominent, safety was not enforced, and those who tried unionizing for better conditions had to face repercussions. Roosevelt's presidency  empowered the working class by giving them systemic change through labor laws, and more discretely, by disrupting the notion that labor is dispensable.

Before the 1930s, the socially constructed blueprint for survival did not consider time for art, recreation, reading, and even work safety, to be a necessity in life. But how could it, when people were working excessively long hours, there was no minimum wage, there was no pension system, and there was no federal protection for unionized workers? Roosevelt's actions transformed how Americans managed their personal lives in relation to work, but fundamentally, his presidency changed how Americans even defined the potential of what a "personal life" could be.

The first section of this exhibit will utilize a timeline to create a better understanding of President Roosevelt's two-fold method to transforming working conditions in the nation. The second section of this exhibit will use a map to highlight the increase in spaces dedicated to leisurely activities. And lastly, the final section will analyze WPA posters to show how creative action was a method used to influence the personal lives of Americans.