Power to the People

The people have spoken! After several suggestions from loyal FLLAC fans, the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center has extended its Thursday hours to 9:00pm to provide a place for the community to unwind after work and enjoy the center's programming. The new hours began on February 1, 2007 with jazz by Studio Stu, refreshments, a short film screening, and special tours of the current exhibition, For the People: American Mural Drawings of the 1930s and 1940s.

Now showing in the Prints and Drawings Galleries, For the People features preliminary sketches and studies for public murals, often commissioned as part of the New Deal for public and government properties such as post offices, hospitals, colleges, high schools, and even ships and night clubs. The exhibit also includes the sketches that eventually turned into several local murals. Drawing in large part from the FLLAC's own collection, the exhibit includes nearly 30 drawings, paintings, and sketchbooks used to create the framework for the murals (photos of the finished murals are often provided for contrast).

"This type of art was meant for the everyday person," explains curator Patricia Phagan. "The artists wanted to connect with the person on the street and create common scenes." The murals provided an uplifting effect during the Great Depression and often reflect a real sense of place and history. The exhibition features in-depth guided tours of local murals, including the Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck post offices and Poughkeepsie's Main Street Mural.

For information on Thursdays at the Art Center or on the current exhibit, which is sponsored by the Smart Family Foundation, visit http://fllac.vassar.edu.