Abstract
The contemporary cultural policy of the United States is known to be originated by the New Deal art programs in 1930s. The New Deal art programs consisted of two different characteristics; one was a relief program for unemployed artists through out the country under the Great Depression, providing the citizens opportunities for involving in art. The other was to enhance the quality level of American art for establishing national identity. The characteristic of the latter was borne by the so called “Section” under the Treasury Department of the federal Government. The New Deal art programs were ceased during the World War II, but the philosophy and policy of the “Section” were inherited by the public art program of the GSA (General Service Administration) founded in 1962. This paper firstly discusses the public art policies of the New Deal and the characteristics of its art programs. Then, it examines more in detail, purposes of the program and its selection and evaluation procedure of artworks which proves the influence of the “Section” on the public art policies of the US government after the World War II.
