United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
United States. Work Projects Administration Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Place of publication, production, or execution:
New York (State)
Physical Description:
53 Pages, Transcript
General Note:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 14 min.
Access Note / Rights:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Summary:
An interview of Holger Cahill conducted 1960 April 12-15, by John Morse and Peter Pollack, for the Archives of American Art.
Cahill discusses his work as national director of the Federal Art Project. He recalls other administrators and artists who participated, and describes the allocation of the art works produced. Of particular interest is an anecdote about Jackson Pollock's experiments with his characteristic style while on the WPA. Peter Pollack contributes his own recollections of his work under Cahill developing community art centers as part of the federal program.
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Holger Cahill, 1960 April 12 and 15. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Biography Note:
Holger Cahill (1887-1960) was an art administrator from New York, New York. Cahill was the National director of Federal Art Project, administered under Federal Project No. 1 of the Works Progress Administration (later the Work Projects Administration). The FAP provided work to unemployed artists. Cahill was the director throughout its existence.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001