Are Milwaukee’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) Treasures at Risk?
PreserveMKE Group Calls Transparency on the Fate of Public Art at the Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee, WI — Community advocates are sounding the alarm about the fate of priceless Works Progress Administration (WPA) art and Depression-era exhibits housed at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM). These works—murals, dioramas, and artifacts created with federal investment during the Great Depression—represent not only Milwaukee’s artistic heritage but also the nation’s first efforts to merge art, equity, and public service.
Yet under MPM’s newly released “Plan for Disposition of Surplus Property” (File No. 25-586), the future of these items is unclear. The Museum states it has the authority to sell or dispose of “non-accessioned” property, while Milwaukee County retains ownership only of formally accessioned works. The plan promises “transparency” but defines it as issuing a report after the process is complete.
“The public deserves to know right now whether WPA murals and dioramas are protected as County-owned collections, federally safeguarded, or being treated as disposable ‘personal property,’” said Cori Huston, a preservation advocate. “Transparency after the fact is not transparency—it’s damage control.”
The WPA connection is critical. The Milwaukee Handicraft Project, launched in 1935 under the WPA, was the only fully integrated WPA project in the nation. It gave dignity to unskilled women and African American workers, producing block prints, furniture, and textiles for schools and public institutions. MPM’s WPA murals and dioramas were created in the same era, with the same mission: art in service to the people.
“These pieces were never meant to be trinkets or assets for liquidation,” added Huston. “They were federally funded works of art, intended for the public trust. The Museum must disclose whether they are accessioned, federally protected, or at risk of being sold off in silence.”
Community members are calling on Milwaukee County supervisors to intervene and demand:
- A full accounting of which items are accessioned into Milwaukee County’s collection.
- Disclosure of which works fall under federal WPA protections.
- Guarantees that murals, dioramas, and Depression-era exhibits will not be liquidated as surplus property.
“Milwaukee County leaders once believed in the WPA so strongly that they continued to fund the Handicraft Project even after Congress disbanded the agency in 1941. Today’s leaders must show the same commitment by safeguarding WPA art in the Public Museum,” said Huston.
Advocates stress that without immediate disclosure, the Museum’s stated commitment to transparency cannot be trusted.
Milwaukee Public Museum. Women’s Work: The WPA Milwaukee Handicraft Project. Milwaukee Public Museum. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.mpm.edu/node/27094.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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