The #MuseumMoment slated to be happening now at @InteriorMuseum has been indefinitely postponed, but our registrar Jason Jurgena still wanted to share with you some of what he'd prepared. READ ON 👇 (thread 1/6) #MuseumFromHome
In 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of his New Deal program, sending millions of jobless Americans back to work during the Great Depression. (2/6)
Through Federal Project Number One within the WPA, many unemployed artists worked on arts-related projects, including creating 14 designs for screen-printed posters promoting 13 @NatlParkService sites from 1938 to 1941. (3/6)
There was interest from other parks in also having posters made, but the project came to an end with the onset of WWII. At the time, these and other WPA-era posters weren't as widely recognized for their artistry--and eventual historical value--as they are today. (4/6)
The majority of them weren't cared for in a way that would preserve them, and over the years many were inadvertently discarded, destroyed, or lost to history. 😕 (5/6)
I hope you'll be able to join me in person when we reschedule this #MuseumMoment. In the meantime, please enjoy this image of the two rare serigraphs of @YellowstoneNPS (INTR 07498 & 07499) donated to us in 2018. I'll have them temporarily on view then for you to see. (6/6)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
The #MuseumWeek celebration of museums worldwide is back! The first of 7 daily themes is one of “beginning,” i.e., #OnceUponATimeMW. We’re jumping in with a thread on the backstory of our own @InteriorMuseum. (1/9)
In 1935, the @Interior’s responsibilities are expanding and have outgrown its WWI-era HQ building. 32nd Interior Secretary Harold Ickes endeavors to build a new HQ – the 1st federal building in Washington DC to be fully conceptualized & built in the FDR administration. (2/9)
Realizing that @Interior is a large, complex agency, constructing the new 1930s HQ is also seen as an opportunity to be more to be more transparent and relevant to the American people. One of many new elements specified for inclusion is a public #museum. (3/9)
Each year, @InteriorMuseum places ribbons alongside the official portraits of @Interior secretaries who are veterans of U.S. armed forces. In this thread, we’ll be sharing details of their service with you.
10th @Interior secretary Jacob Cox was a major general in the Union Army during the Civil War and fought in several key campaigns, including at Antietam. In his later years, he penned several memoirs and military histories about the Civil War.
13th @Interior secretary Carl Schurz joined the Union Army in 1862 and rose through the ranks to serve as a major general during the Civil War. He fought at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run and at the battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg & Chattanooga. #ArchivesVeterans (INTR 01617)
Happy #NationalBisonDay! In addition to being our national mammal, the bison has long been a symbol of @Interior and appears in art and architectural details throughout our main headquarters building in Washington, DC. Let's take a #BisonTour to explore! (1/15)
📷USFWS/A. Forrest
#DidYouKnow that the @Interior's official seal has included a bison almost continuously since 1917? (It used to be an 🦅in varying poses). Pictured here from our museum collection is the die for the 1st bison seal in 1917 (INTR 01970).
Many painted bison are at @Interior. This nearly life-size rendition was created in 1939 by Kiowa artist Stephen Mopope (1898-1974) just beneath his incredible 50' mural, "Ceremonial Dance" in our public cafeteria--appropriately named the Bison Bistro!
Welcome! I'm Tracy Baetz, Chief Curator here @Interior & today we’re excited for the virtual launch of “Thomas Moran & the ‘Big Picture.’” The masterpieces -"The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” & “The Chasm of the Colorado”- have returned for the 1st time in 2 decades
In capturing the natural beauty of @YellowstoneNPS & @GrandCanyonNPS, these monumental canvases shaped many people’s impressions of the American West in the 1870’s & forever framed the discourse surrounding public lands. #BigPictureMorans
When Thomas Moran debuted “The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” in 1872, he captured in full color the natural beauty of a region relatively few people had ever seen. Here’s some of the backstory... #BigPictureMorans
🐾 It's #NationalPetMonth, so we're going behind-the-scenes for some Friday fun to introduce you to a few @InteriorMuseum staffers' furry fur-ends (ehm..."co-workers"). Meet Tybalt, Han & Leia, and Oscar & Mayer! (thread 1/6)
Tybalt is a 15-lb domestic shorthair cat. ~4 yrs ago he showed up looking for food & snuggles and found his forever home. He likes walking on trails with his humans and even has whistle recall! Guilty pleasures? Hanging out in a hammock and an occasional snack of popcorn.🍿
(2/6)
Han is a rescue and probably a German Shepherd/Greyhound mix. He’s 8 years old and loves making new friends and giving lots of kisses. And no matter where *you* might want to sit on the🛋️couch, *all* the spots are his! 😆
(3/6)
#OnThisDate in 1936, a public ceremony was held for laying the cornerstone of @Interior's current headquarters building (Federal Public Works Project No. 4).
Various dignitaries were in attendance, including President Franklin Roosevelt, architect Waddy Wood, Interior Secretary Harold Ickes (left), and chair of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission Frederic A. Delano (right).
(2/5)
📷 INTR 07447
In his prepared remarks, Secretary Ickes said, "This new building represents much more to us than merely better and more desirable office space; . . . it is to us a symbol of a new day." (3/5)