Which program is often remembered for employing artists and writers as part of its work relief program?

• A. Public Works Administration (PWA)
• B. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
• C. Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
• D. Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Answer: (D)

During the Great Depression, several New Deal programs provided work relief, but the one best known for employing artists and writers is the Works Progress Administration. Its broader mission included public-works construction, but it also housed the Federal Project Number One, a set of arts initiatives that paid unemployed artists, writers, actors, musicians, and others to create public art, literature, and performances. Projects like the Federal Art Project, Federal Writers' Project, and Federal Theatre Project produced murals, books, guides, and plays, helping sustain cultural life while putting people to work. The other programs focused mainly on concrete infrastructure, conservation work, or housing regulation, without the same emphasis on employing creatives as part of relief.