Author: Madelyn Newton Cottrell
Madelyn (UI), Bess Perry (MSU), Hunter McBurnett (MSU) and DOI staff on the terrace of the Department of the Interior building
Last October, the Parks and Recreation Lab joined Michigan State University in tourring the murals lining the Steward Lee Udall Department of the Interior building in Washington, D.C. Steeped in history, rich in context, and nonexempt from the political agendas of commissioners past, these millions of brushstrokes depict a wide array of canon events that shaped the American story and illustrate the early accomplishments of the Department itself. Secretary of Interior, Harold Ickes (1933-1946), oversaw the construction of the Works Progress Administration era building and many of the subsequent artworks that are still on-site and visible today.
Framed by ornate geometric motifs evocative of the Art Deco age, the tour began with a description of an oil painting, "Salt River Irrigation Project, Arizona (ca. 1928)," showcasing the Theodore Roosevelt Dam. The Dam is significant in that it was the first project completed by the government's then-newest agency, the Bureau of Reclamation, in 1911 and catalyzed the development of central Arizona (i.e. Phoenix). An hour later, the tour concluded just as it had begun: with the observation of an oil painting of a dam. However, this oil painting, known as "Construction of a Dam (ca. 1939, pictured below)," contains more about the divergent political climate of the mid-twentieth century than what meets the eye. Littered with thinly-veiled communist symbolism, it's no surprise that the creator, William Grooper, was eventually called before the House of Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare. Many artists capitalized on the ambiguity of their craft and unique, temporary positioning within the federal government to bolster their own narratives and ideas.
William Grooper's painting,"Construction of a Dam," in the Department of the Interior building
Though, the tour's emphasis on man made hydraulic achievements do not reflect neither the breadth of the Department's interest nor the depth of their involvement in the management of U.S. public lands. These examples are but two of the many New Deal era pieces that represent a history as colorful and intriguing as the paintings themselves. As though a crash course in American history, the tour took us on a journey that included nationally-important and nationalistic paintings lightly sprinkled with propaganda pertaining to the administrative objectives from political figureheads of decades past and their vision for America's future. For example, the murals commissioned for the office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs were completed by a renowned artist and white man, Maynard Dixon, yet, drafts were continuously reworked and reimagined to construe the relationship between these two historically adversarial nations in a harmonious, symbiotic light. However, Dixon's point of view contradicts the intent of the commissioner and subliminal, contradictory messaging can be observed today in the final rendition of the"Bureau of Indian Affairs - Indian & Teacher (ca. 1939)."
Woody Crumbo's painting, "Stealing Horses," in the present-day Penthouse, Department of the Interior Building
Personally, my favorite section of the tour resides within a bygone-social-hall-turned-conference-room where federal employees could once grab an ice cream cone, stroll on the rooftop terrace and chat with colleagues surrounded by imaginative murals from four Indigenous American artists: Woody Crumbo, Potawatomi Tribe (pictured above); Gerald Nailor, Navajo Tribe; Velino Herrera, Zia Pueblo Tribe; and Allan Houser, Chiricahua Apache Tribe. Commissioned in 1940, the muralists each portrayed culturally significant scenes in a distinctive, stylized manner. The inscriptions under each piece include their name and tribal association. Viewing these murals within the original site at which they were created is a truly intimate and unique experience. These works, like many of the murals within the DOI building, exist outside of a temperature-controlled environment and in common areas open to the wear-and-tear of a normal office space. This tour was unlike any within a traditional museum setting and felt like walking alongside time as it stood still. If you ever have a free moment in D.C., check out the "decoration" of the Interior.
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