I Got the Dust Bowl Blues
Morning Lecture
15 February 2023
Migrant Mother, Nipomo California, March 1936
The Wall Street crash in 1929 led to a questioning of the success of the American dream. In 1933 President Roosevelt stepped in with the New Deal and in 1935 the WPA (Works Progress Administration). This government initiative meant employment for over eight million largely unskilled Americans and, importantly, 5,300 artists. Murals, painting, photography, graphic design all flourished.
In this lecture we will explore some of the key artists of this era. The abstract painter Jackson Pollock will be evaluated, along with the social realism of Dorothea Lange and Ben Shahn. The soundtrack of the era is provided by Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rodgers.
Our Speaker John Francis has delivered lecturers and workshops in the USA, Beijing, Malaysia and the UK. Initially trained as a painter, John was awarded the Max Beckmann Memorial Scholarship in painting in Brooklyn, New York and went on to be artist in residence for the state of Texas.
Later in his career John produced and directed several short films and animations. He has taught film, art and pedagogy at the University of Exeter, Arts University Bournemouth, University Sains Malaysia, Southwestern College, California, Brunel University and Kingston University London.
John Francis