Lecture: “WPA Art & Artists: Long Island’s New Deal Legacy” at Suffolk County Historical Society

The Suffolk County Historical Society’s December Book & Bottle Lecture is a discussion of “WPA Art & Artists: Long Island’s New Deal Legacy” with Jim “Zak” Szakmary.

This illustrated presentation will take you on a tour of local WPA-inspired art on Long Island. 

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was our nation’s largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, offering millions of unemployed men and women jobs during the Great Depression era. 

Public buildings, roads, and bridges were built, but also artists were employed to create murals, easel paintings, sculpture, graphic art, posters, photography, theater scenic design, and arts and crafts. 

Learn about the Long Island WPA artists and the historic artworks they created in the 1930s–and where on our island you can still find these pieces of our history today. 

Historian Jim “Zak” Szakmary lectures on local history topics. A retired air-traffic controller, Zak was a docent at the William Floyd Estate, a volunteer and trustee at the Suffolk County Historical Society, and a past president of the Narrow Bay Historical Society. He earned his bachelor’s in history from Stony Book University and his graduate certificate in Public History from Empire State College.

Tickets are $8 for non-members or free for members, and include light refreshments. Registration and non-refundable prepayment is required by calling 631.727.2881 x100 or click here to signup via Eventbrite (a small processing fee will apply):