A new exhibit opening in Zimmerman Library focuses on UNM’s involvement in New Deal programming, as both a recipient of funds and a location for New Deal-related offices and programs.

The opening reception will be held on April 11 at 11 a.m. in the Frank Waters room, followed by a presentation by UNM history professor Jason Scott Smith at noon.

Students Going to Class
"Students Going to Class" by Willard N. Ash, courtesy of the UNM Art Museum.

Images and paintings from the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections and the UNM Art Museum will be featured in the exhibit. It will also highlight the buildings on UNM funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), including Scholes Hall and Zimmerman Library.

The Civilian Conservation Core (CCC) worked on landscaping and planting projects and built walkways and irrigation systems and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded craftspeople and vocational students to make furnishings for campus buildings. Money from the National Youth Administration (NYA) helped hire student workers for on-campus jobs and federal art projects hired painters and sculptors to create art works for campus.

In addition to the opening reception, a series of four lectures on the New Deal are scheduled through May:

April 11, 12-1 p.m., Frank Waters Room 105­­

The New Deal and the Great Depression: A View from the Southwest

Dr. Jason Scott Smith, UNM Department of History

 

April 27, 12-1 p.m., Frank Waters Room 105

The Civilian Conservation Corps at UNM and Beyond in New Mexico

Dr. Richard Melzer, Emeritus, UNM Department of History

 

May 11, 12-1 p.m., Frank Waters Room 105

The Historic American Building Survey-From UNM Across the Southwest

Paul Secord, author, Albuquerque

 

May 24, 6-7:30 p.m., Willard Room

La Musica del Diablo a Pie: Recovering the Nuevomexicano Musical Heritage.

Panel lecture and musical evening.

 

The exhibit is a collaborative effort involving faculty, staff and student employees at University Libraries.

All events are free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on view through Aug. 4, 2017.

For more information contact Audra Bellmore at abellmor@unm.edu or visit library.unm.edu.