The Celebrative Spirit: 1937–1943

The Celebrative Spirit: 1937–1943 illustrates a country dependent upon social and recreational events to boost the spirit of their communities. The exhibition combines rarely seen photographs of this “community spirit” from the Library of Congress, rare audio and video interviews, and interpretative text by noted historian F. Jack Hurley on ten photographers employed by the Farm Security Administration during the Roosevelt Presidency. In 1935, the Roosevelt Administration took steps to illustrate to Congress and the American people the success of their fight against rural poverty. One of the most influential efforts of documentation was the photographic program under the Farm Security Administration, now commonly called the FSA Project. According to Director Roy Stryker, “What we ended up with was as well-rounded a picture of American life during that period as anyone could get.” Stryker had asked that the photographers keep in mind “that the purpose is to show that the residents are leading normal, settled lives. The families eat, sleep, work, laugh, raise children, gossip, picnic, read books, and wash clothes.” For most, the FSA Project is ancient history, but, for others, it is a source for reflection on current events and challenges.

Archives like the FSA Project help preserve the past, inform the present, and affect the future. Unfortunately, the truth in archives or history can also be manipulated by applying different rules and criteria to mark it. We will use the expertise of noted FSA historian F. Jack Hurley to provide a balance between the known and the speculated since he, among historians, had the most contact with the FSA photographers 45 years ago and during the decades that followed.

Featured Artists: Russell Lee, Arthur Rothstein, Marjory Collins, Jack Delano, Arthur Siegel, Marion Post Wolcott