The most innovative perhaps of all the WPA's aspects was the cultivation of the arts. Though this was teh subject about which FDR received most of the criticism, he continuously defended it by stating, "even artists too must eat". The most outstanding programs in this cultivation of hte arts were the Federal Music Project (FMP), the Federal Theatre Project (FTP), and the encouragement of unique talents and abilities in small communities. The FMP employed hundreds of musicians in communities around the county. They were hired to perform in the newly constructed community centers or to give public concerts in parks, or just about anywhere. The music of over 14,000 American composers was exposed and absorbed through the FMP. The FTP also contributed free performances to the public. Their weekly audiences usually consisted of 350,000 or more. The actors in this program put on a variety of different plays and shos raning from Pinnocchio to Shakespearean tragedies. However, the most remembered of the plays was the "Living Newspaper," where actors would inform and satirize current happenings. This was a clever way to keep the people informed of events around them while keeping spirits high. Because these programs did not only include professional artists, novice or even mediocre artists could give their talents a chance. This opened the door for people that would have otherwise been left out in the cold. The FAP employed many artists through the occupation of mural painting. Other forms of art that flouirished were copy draft, architecture, and teh preservation of folk art. The FAP supported and encouraged such famous artists as Jackson Pollock, Stuart Davis, and Yasuo Kuniyoshi. The evidence of these programs is still standing today with 2,566 murals decoration public buildings, 17,794 sculptures displayed in community art centers, and the continuation of the flourishing of mural art as a means of self-expression. The art of literature was also greatly influenced and encouraged by the WPA. The Federal Writers Program supported author John Steinbeck to write his novel "The Grapes of Wrath", an eye opening view of the Great Depression. This seemingly unending support proved to cultivate a sort of people's art that this country had not experienced before nor since the time of the WPA. While the art and literature of the WPA was always known for the quantity, it proved to be no less in quality. The programs that spawned from the WPA initiated a sort of cultural "enlightenment" that rejuvenated an almost abandoned art scene.

The most unexpected accomplishment of the WPA was teh much increased effort to preserve history. The main focus of these effoets were American culture and African American culture. T

Some topics in this essay:
Administration WPA, Lincoln Park, Progress Administration, African American, Living Newspaper, Grapes Wrath, Jon Doe, Dust Bowl, Project FTP, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, progress administration, african american, hygiene health services, private enterprises, unique talents, hygiene health, mural painting, health services, american culture, progress administration wpa, wpa's programs, community centers,