SEE AMERICA: Reviving the Legacy of The New Deal Arts Projects

Luis Prado

If you like National Parks, art and FREE beer, then we’ve got the thing for you to do tonight.

The Creative Action Network, a San Francisco-based organization that uses crowd-sourcing to create visual media campaigns for awesome causes, is hosting a reception for their newest campaign, See America, at SF Intersection for the Arts. Guests are invited to come check out samples from the project, which drew works from scores of artists that created posters celebrating America’s National Parks. The idea–which is great–was actually inspired by a program rolled out by President Roosevelt over 75 years ago.

Way back in the Great Depression, FDR sought to put Americans back to work with a program called The New Deal. For those of you who are unfamiliar with his efforts, a cornerstone of his  vision was the Works Progress Administration. At the time there were a great deal of people out of work and the government set out to employ them in order to both build our countries infrastructure and keep an increasingly disenfranchised population from turning to a life of crime. In addition to the grittier, harder souls who built whole lot of stuff across the country during this period, The New Deal also sought to put artists to work. One avenue was the idea to reengage and revitalize the spirit of Americans by instilling a sense of pride in the natural beauty their county had to offer. In order to do this, the WPA employed artists to make posters for the parks with the aim of encouraging people to pay some of their national treasures a visit.

Flash forward to today. In the wake of severe budget cuts to our National Parks, The Creative Action Network has partnered with the National Parks Conservation Association to once again stir up a love affair between Americans and The Great Outdoors. In the same spirit as the WPA, these guys have once again called upon artists–this time via crowdsourcing–to pitch in on the effort. The fruits of their labor can be seen in the form of a whole bunch of really cool posters for many of our beloved parks. Check ’em:

Wedha Abdul Rasyid

Matt Brass

Joshua Sierra

The exhibit will only be up through this Saturday,  January 25th, so why not check it out? For you creative types, it will also be a great way to learn more about The Creative Action Network’s campaigns so that maybe you too can become a part of their next one.

Parks, Art, and FDR’s living legacy. What more could you want on a Thursday night?

SEE AMERICA
Thursday, January 23rd
Reception at 6pm
SF Intersection for the Arts
925 Mission Street
[Downtown]
SF