WPA's 'Good News' Hangs in Library

In 1935 the W.P.A., Works Progress Administration, was established to provide jobs to millions of unemployed Americans during the Great Depression.  Most people are familiar with the many public works construction projects undertaken from building roads and bridges to the construction of public buildings such as post offices, schools and libraries.

A lesser known aspect of the W.P.A. is Federal Project Number One which offered work to thousands of artists, musicians, actors and writers through the Federal Art Project, Federal Music Project, Federal Theatre Project, Federal Writers’ Project and the Historical Records Survey.

The Federal Art Project established community art centers, created the Index of American Design documenting historically and culturally significant material, and commissioned over 200,000 pieces of art in the form of murals, posters, photography, sculpture and other formats.

Much of the commissioned artwork was created within municipal buildings and public spaces.  One example was Pietro Lazzari’s “Good News” mural commissioned for the newly opened Brevard Post Office, a Public Works Administration project, in 1941.  He was paid $750 for the work.

Lazzari was an Italian born and trained artist who immigrated to the United States in 1926 and became a citizen three years later.  Over a long career he became well-known for a variety of paint media, as well as for sculptures.  His best known works are bronze busts of Pope Paul VI, Eleanor Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson.

Elizabeth Kapp Tyson, library director from 1944 until 1983, helped ensure
that Brevard's "Good News" would be preserved for future generations.

“Good News” is a glazed tempera paint mural, reminiscent of a fresco and depicts rural mail delivery. The scene shows three farmers discussing the sale of a calf, a postman distributing letters and a disinterested child chasing a duck.

After the Brevard Post Office moved to its current location in 1972 the Broad Street building was renovated for the Transylvania County Library.  When the ceiling was lower the mural had to be moved from its original place above the post master’s office door, just inside the front entrance.  For many years it was located in the reference area where it would not be exposed to direct sunlight.

"Good News" hung in the reference area of the library to prevent exposure to direct sunlight.

When the library relocated to 212 S. Gaston St. in 2006 a frame matching the building’s woodwork was added to the painting.  It hangs in the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room on the second floor where conditions help preserve it.

Over a period of nearly 80 years much of the Federal Art Project work has been lost.  In recent years there has been a renewed interested in these works and their history.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.