Public Works of Art Project (Minnesota).

During the Great Depression the United States government sponsored several projects promoting the production of works of art. Among them was the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), begun in December, 1933, and funded by the U.S. Civil Works Administration. The PWAP was not a relief program, but rather a means to provide jobs for unemployed artists. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the PWAP's main objective was to document the contemporary "American scene" in paintings, murals, and sculpture that would be appropriate for display in any federal or other publicly owned building. All artworks produced became the property of the federal government.

Under the PWAP the country was divided into 16 regions. Region 10, composed of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, was administered by the Committee of Federal Relief on Fine Arts, headquartered in Chicago and chaired by Walter S. Brewster (December 1933 - February 1934) and Increase Robinson (February-April 1934).

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