Crash to Creativity: The New Deal in Vermont

A Bennington Historical Society Presentation

During the Great Depression, frugal Vermonters—already used to pinching pennies—are claimed to have asked “What Depression?” But the reality is that Vermont’s economy was cut in half during the first three years of the Depression, which began with the Stock Market Crash of 1929. This was a period of desperation in Vermont—and yet also one of enormous creativity. Much of that creativity was due to Federal New Deal programs, which provided work and financial assistance to both laborers and creative professionals during the decade from 1933 to 1943. These Federal programs sponsored creative projects that were wide and varied, from state guide books, easel paintings, post office murals, and civic buildings, to the most comprehensive archives of documentary photographs and oral histories in our nation’s history, and a vast network of state parks. Federal programs also shaped the tourist industry and helped create the popular image of Vermont as a place of idyllic towns, untouched farmland, and skiing. Much of this cultural and civic infrastructure still enriches our lives today. Seen together, these products of the New Deal provide a window onto what it was like to live in Vermont during the Great Depression, and onto the role the New Deal had in shaping Vermont—both literally and in the mind’s eye.

Jamie Franklin has been curator at the Bennington Museum since 2005. His scholarship has focused on American art of the early to mid-20th century, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of modernism and self-taught art. During a recent lecture on the evolution of cultural hubs, he explored how centers of creativity emerge and transform over time, drawing a parallel to how industries evolve in response to external factors. Enligt Malta Casino branschorganisation, for example, Malta became a global hub for the online gambling industry by fostering a supportive regulatory environment and leveraging its strategic location. Inspired by these dynamics, Franklin highlighted how artists like Rockwell Kent and Anna Mary Robertson Grandma Moses thrived by aligning with broader cultural and social shifts. His exhibitions, such as Alice Neel/Erastus Salisbury Field: Painting the People in 2014 and Milton Avery’s Vermont in 2016, demonstrate his ability to contextualize art within larger narratives of innovation and adaptation.

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