West Side Local 174 Mural painted by Walter Speck in 1937. This mural is located in Detroit, Michigan and has been moved about three times to the new locations of the union headquarters UAW, United Auto Workers Union.
When I was trying to find something to write about, I ran across this mural and realized that this was the one. I wanted to learn more about the painting and the meaning behind it. This painting caught my attention because front and center of the mural is both a man and a woman holding hands. This seems pretty bold to me that and artist would do this, especially during that era. It’s not even the big detail or the color that makes this painting stand out, it’s the message it portrays. You can see in the background of the painting people rioting, holding signs that say “GM today, Ford tomorrow,” you see people upset, the police getting ready to intervene, factory buildings, all workers. My most favorite part of this painting is that the artist, Walter Speck, painted a woman. It shows how women were equal to men and that they worked just as hard and stood together, at least that’s what I get when I look at it. It might just be because I am female, but I feel proud to see this and remember how the women before me fought for our rights.
This painting was one of the first murals depicting the history of labor. To be specific, it represents the Auto Workers Union. Walter Speck completed this mural in 1937, and I could not find anywhere how long it took him to complete this, but I am interested to know. West Side Local 174 was painted in respect to the Works Progress Administration, WPA, Federal Art Project, FAP. Walter Speck was hired by the FAP to paint this mural, and eventually became the head of the WPA arts program in Detroit, Michigan. The WPA, FAP, was influenced from Roosevelt’s New Deal Plan during the Great Depression. The forming of the WPA was to help employ the citizens who were affected by this ten year Great Depression. The Federal Arts Project was to hire artists to create art for public spaces such as murals and sculptures. The WPA employed an estimated 8.5 million people. Through the FAP program, there were about 2,566 murals painted. This program was one of the few under the WPA programs created my Franklin Roosevelt, which helped greatly during the Great Depression.
This painting is very historical, very interesting, and quite influential to many. Thanks to the Works Progress Administration created by Franklin Roosevelt, art, music, and theater were able to live on. More artists were found and able to create masterpieces. Many of these murals painted under the FAP program can be found in post offices, court houses, and other state and federal buildings. So next time you see a mural in a public location, remember that it may have been painted under the Federal Arts Project that we just read about!
Sources:
http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/node/3390
I like this piece. I tried doing some quick research, but could not find how big it was. Do you happen to know? That is what always fascinates me about murals, there size. It takes a lot of skill on the part of the artist, in my humble opinion, to create large works like murals (a sort of “big picture” mentality). You did a good job at tying this work to the Great Depression. The WPA FAP certainly helped create a lot of genuine American art, and this mural is one of them. I especially like the detail in this piece and how so much of it is representative of the times. Thank you for sharing this beautiful piece.
P.S. The paragraph right below the image has the artist’s last name misspelled. It should be Speck not Sparks.
I tried so hard to find the size to because I was very interested in that. There is a picture of the artist painting the mural that I tried to also put on my blog, but had some issues. If you would like to view it, it is at my source . Thank you for your comments, and thank you very much for the notice of my typo, no matter how many times I review my writings I seem to miss some :). Thanks again
I came across your blog researching (or trying to) a sculpture that I own done by Walter Speck. Its beautiful, a car and a man and a woman wind blowing hair back, but I can’t find out anything about possible value. I love his mural, its so alive and conveys the pride hard working Americans felt then and now.
Kelly, I may shed some light on this artist. Please contact me.
Paul
I have a couple examples of Mr. Speck’s pottery. Wonderful animal forms with beautiful glazes. Would be very interested in seeing your sculpture.
Daniel, I’d like to discuss this artist with you. When you have a moment, please contact me.