By Michael K. Brantley
There is some interesting art that often gets overlooked — in post offices across the country. These are big murals that were painted mostly in the 1930s and 40s.
I’d always heard these were done by the WPA, but a little digging revealed they were actually commissioned by the Treasury Department’s Section of Painting and Sculpture, which later became the Section of Fine Arts.
I’ve seen “North Carolina Pastoral” in Warrenton and “Tobacco Auction” in Louisburg, the two closest in this area. A complete list can be found by clicking here.
A recent post on Atlas Obscura, one of my favorite websites, reminded me of these great pieces of art. You can read that story by clicking here.
Once upon a time, public art was celebrated more than it is now. Thanks for the reminder!
I agree. I like that some places are making public art a required part of any capital project now.