By Kevin Lee Associate Editor

Art in troubled times

Is the past always prologue?

As calamitous predictions of the nation’s economic future ripple out from forecasters and broadcasters alike, many brace for uncertain times.

But what does that mean for the artists among us? Art has often been viewed as a luxury, a product of leisure or an indulgence of extraneous wealth. Sadly, this cultural meme still dominates in a nation characterized by worship of the practical application above most else.

During our last “sho’ ‘nuff” economic hardship, the value of creative talent was fostered in an effort to bolster the sagging morale of a country on its knees. Among the “alphabet agencies” birthed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) served simultaneous functions.

Established in April of 1935, the WPA’s stated mission was to provide socially useful work for the unemployed. They built highways and hospitals, playgrounds and parks, courthouses and schools.

Four arts projects of the WPA were also established under the moniker “Federal One” that provided work for artists, writers, musicians and actors. Creative geniuses such as writer Ralph Ellison and visual artist Jackson Pollock were among those able to develop talents during a critical time in their careers.

The Federal Writer’s Project (FWP) employed writers to produce a variety of publications, the most famous being a series of guidebooks for states, cities, and areas like Death Valley.

The Federal Music Project (FMP) provided jobs for thousands of musicians who entertained millions of listeners.

The Federal Art Project (FAP) employed visual artists to not only create work but to also teach studio and art history classes.

The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was formed to facilitate “free, adult, uncensored” federal theater, radio units, dance and vaudeville and circus productions in addition to children’s theater.

The FTP raised ire, though, with often overwhelming propaganda for the New Deal, as portrayed in liberal ideologue Tim Robbins’ 1999 film “Cradle Will Rock.” Producer, director, playwright and author Hallie Flanagan rose to the defense of the FTP in the essay “Democracy and the Drama,” stating that FTP-produced plays “represent a new frontier in America” against social ills.

Predictably, the changes brought about by New Deal agencies in conjunction with heightened unrest in Europe and Asia created unrest among many Americans. Government intervention was derided as an erosion of fundamental values while fascism and communism seemed to be knocking on America’s door.

In a corresponding reaction, the House of Representatives established the Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in May of 1938 with its purpose being to root out subversives among the populace.

Under Southern Democratic leadership, HUAC set upon left wing groups, immigrant groups and labor unions. They built upon New Deal opposition and singled out the FTP They accused the arts organization of advocating the spread of communist ideology and were decried by HUAC members weeks before the committee even convened.

Some think the FTP was an easy target due to American perception of arts as a gratuitous frill. It was easy for politicians to drum up their own value by exploiting latent xenophobia and aiming it at creative types who moved on the fringes of mainstream society.

Anticipating bias, the legislation establishing FTP stipulated political affiliation could not be used as a basis for exclusion from projects. This also made it easy for HUAC to label writers, actors and stagehands as subversives.

Despite protestations, HUAC demanded revelation of all political affiliations and during hearings Flanagan attempted to defend the agency with a quote from playwright Christopher Marlowe. One blustery politician interrupted her with an indignant demand of Marlowe’s political affiliation. Flanagan informed the poppinjay that Marlowe was one of the greatest playwrights of Elizabethan England, a contemporary of Shakespeare.

Shadows of those times seem to grow across our current days. Many of the same suspicions and wedges have been injected into contemporary life as a cheap and transparent tool to keep the empowered entrenched and the masses malleable. We are encouraged to surrender to fear rather than strive for hope and to not seek the better portion of ourselves.

Economics and international politics are shaky, forming uncertain bedrock for the zeitgeist. If that grows, artists are likely to be among the first to feel it in a world where their contributions to the human condition are marginalized.

Art is about the refinement of humanity, discovery of self and common bonds and there is no greater need for it than in times of unrest. It can be a salve for the soul, an avenue of release or a cohesive agent.

Do we let it die or fight to keep it alive?

Do we live to create or create to live?

Kevin Lee is Lagniappe associate editor. Contact him at klee@lagniappemobile.com.

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