Visitors to the California State Capitol Museum are in for a visual treat when an impressive new exhibit titled “California Treasures: Artwork of the Great Depression” debuts on Monday, October 15, 2012.  The new exhibit will showcase some of the magnificent artwork that was commissioned by the California State Parks System and created under State and Federal Government work relief programs dating from 1934 to 1942.  As background on the history of the art collection, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) created jobs for millions of people by organizing work for the public benefit in an effort to provide unemployment relief and stimulate the economy during the Great Depression. 

The artwork commissioned by the California State Park System included mural paintings, easel paintings, watercolors, pastels, and ink and pencil drawings. In fact, the collection contains more than 450 art objects, many of which have not been on public display in decades.  The new “California Treasures” exhibit will feature exquisite color drawings of the botanicals and birds of Mount Diablo; watercolors of the redwood trees of Big Basin, oil paintings of Clarkson Dye’s impressions of California landscapes and much more. 

Once on display, the new “California Treasures” exhibit will be available for viewing in the California State Capitol Museum’s Historic Archives Room through May 17, 2013.  For more information about this exhibit, or other events and activities at the State Capitol Museum, call 916-324-0333 or visit www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov