College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU History Student Work History 5-2004 Art for a People: An Iconographic and Cultural Study of Mural Painting in Minnesota’s New Deal Art Programs Kathleen McCarney College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/history_students Part of the American Art and Architecture Commons, and the History Commons Recommended Citation McCarney, Kathleen, "Art for a People: An Iconographic and Cultural Study of Mural Painting in Minnesota’s New Deal Art Programs" (2004). History Student Work. 4. https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/history_students/4 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Art for a People: An Iconographic and Cultural Study of Mural Painting in Minnesota’s New Deal Art Programs People of the Soil. Life in Grand Rapids and the Upper Mississippi. Favorite Recreations. Early Logging at Koochiching Falls. Production. Discovery of Ore.1 These murals and dozens more decorate the walls of post offices, schools, hospitals, and town halls across the state of Minnesota from Ely and Brandon to Rochester and Minneapolis (Image 2.5). They show images of men working in Minnesota industries and on farms of different types. Other murals show historical scenes of regions and communities in significant or representative moments. There are scenes of children playing, of men and women dancing, and of Native Americans in their traditional lifestyle.