Between 1934 and 1943, the U. S. Treasury Department commissioned over 1,600 pieces of public art, including 29 in Kansas, for new post office buildings across the United States, through the Works Projects Administration, or WPA. For 80 plus years, thousands of Kansans have walked past these public works of art. Also, the WPA commissioned cultural projects like the Kansas Museum Project, which created custom dolls representing different time periods. Sunday, June 2nd, the Franklin County Historical Society will present Kara Heitz, a historian who will present “ A New Deal for Public Art in the Free State”. Franklin County Historical Society Director Diana Staresinic-Deane:
These paper mache dolls were finely outfitted by skilled seamstresses from across Kansas, and a few even bear initials and signatures of the women who created them. The presentation will be held Sunday after noon at 2:00 at the Archives and Research Center and online via zoom.
