The Great Depression began in 1929 with the devastating crash of the stock market. This had a massive impact on not only the Big Apple but the country as a whole. It was so devastating that nearly 1/3 of every employed New Yorker was now unemployed. As stated by Jaffe, “The depression hit the arts especially hard. At least 8,000 actors and 4,000 chorus girls and boys were out of work in New York City (179).” Although artists struggle for employment was a nationwide dilemma, much of the emphasis was placed on New York City: “the country’s theatrical heart (Jaffe 188).”
The artists of New York City were tired of their financial situations as well as the government and wanted immediate change. They needed a form of short term financial security to surviving during this terrible financial crisis. Very few people were willing and able to purchase art in galleries so they needed a different way to be compensated. Ultimately, the government provided temporary relief through various different federal programs. For example, the Federal Art Project gave struggling artists opportunities to be employed during the Great Depression. In addition, a program that helped many performers in the theatre industry was the Federal theatre project created by Harry Hopkins to re-employ the performers of the United States. The official goal of these types of programs was to “put unemployed artists back to work, encouraging many different types of art forms that would be appreciated by a large audience, and fostering projects that had a social purpose (Lampert, 151).”
Social change for artists was crucial during this time. Many communist-supporting theatres joined together to fight for their rights. For example, theatres and organizations such as the Workers Dance League began allowing people of the arts (writers and actors) to express their concerns with current politics. In addition, artists from all across the city used the rise of art initiatives to express their political views. Their goal was to eventually cause social change and persuade people to fight for Communism in the United States.
The attempt of social change was not appreciated by everyone. There were a few politicians that did not support the goal of the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project and other Federal Art Organizations. Politicians would often deem work they simply did not like as “Communism” as well a cut funding for Federal programs which “disqualified the eligibility of more than eighty-five percent of New York artists (Lampert 153)”. The surprising thing about the fight for social change was that at times, leftists themselves did not agree with some of the production. Their claim was that the basic plot of the agitprop performances attracted leftists instead of relating to the labor revolution which appealed to much more people who were on the fence about their political view.
The idea that the government handed over the relief problems out of pure generosity and thoughtfulness is inaccurate; it took the artists a lot of time and effort before even saw a glimpse of financial assistance. The artists of New York ultimately fought through groups such as the Artists Union and the Unemployed artist’s group to make the relief efforts permanent. This long journey required a lot of lobbying as well as frequent protests to ensure the permanent employment of artists in the community. Contrary to common belief, the struggle for artists employment was not a one time deal; it was an ongoing battle which consisted of many budget cuts from the government leaving artists unemployed for extended periods of time.
Through thick and thin, the artists were able to fight for their rights effectively through their strength in numbers.
-RR
