Klir Beck
Originally from Maine, Beck studied at the Art Student's League of New York. As state artist of Maine, he executed many projects for the Maine Planning Board, as well as numerous woodcarvings at the Washington, D.C. zoo.
Art in Public Places
In the 1930s the Works Progress Administration and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration put artists to work in the Florida Keys. Murals, bas reliefs, watercolors and prints from that decade are still here, in libraries and courthouses and bars and museums, most of them free to walk in and see.
The Council mapped 16 of them for a printed brochure, researched by Malcolm Ross. This is that list, with 14 of the sites now placed on the map on the Art in Public Places page. The numbers are the Council's own and have not been changed.
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Murray E. Nelson Government and Cultural Center
Mile Marker 102, Key Largo
Second floor hall contains five bas reliefs by Joan van Breeman.
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Hurricane Monument
Mile Marker 82, Islamorada
Designed by Harold Lawson and executed by Lampbert Bemelmann, and constructed with WPA funds as a memorial to victims of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.
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Monroe County Public Library
Mile Marker 82, Islamorada Branch.
Originally built by the WPA as a school and hurricane shelter in 1936. It contains six bas reliefs by Joan van Breeman.
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"Hurricane" or "Red Cross" Houses
State Road 4A, Islamorada
Twenty-three houses originally constructed with WPA and Red Cross funds for victims who lost homes in the 1935 hurricane.
Twenty-three separate houses spread along the old State Road 4A, not one address, so this is listed rather than pinned.
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Library
Florida Keys Community College, 2nd Floor, Building A, Key West
"Portable" mural by Erik Johan Smith. Originally installed in the 3.2 Cafe, Duval and Petronia Streets, Key West.
Since then: The college is now the College of the Florida Keys. The archive text predates the 2024 renaming.
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Harvey Government Center
White Street and Truman Avenue, Key West
Two bas reliefs by Joan van Breeman.
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Glynn Archer Elementary School
1302 White Street, Key West
Originally Key West High School. Contains William Hoffman murals depicting discovery of Key West by Spanish explorers, and the building of the Overseas Railroad. (Limited access. Please stop in office before viewing.)
Since then: The building is now Key West City Hall. It was Glynn Archer Elementary when the Council wrote this, and the murals stayed through the conversion.
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Lighthouse Museum
Whitehead Street and Truman Avenue, Key West
FERA artifacts and prints by Erik Smith and Stanley Wood.
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Lester Building
530 Whitehead Street, Key West
Commissioner McCoy's office. Three watercolors by Walton Blodgett.
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Spottswood, Spottswood & Spottswood
500 Fleming Street, 2nd. Floor, Key West
Large painting by Adrian Dornbush, and a later painting by William Hoffman. (Please call ahead in order to view. Phone 294-9556.)
Since then: A working law office. The archive asked visitors to call ahead; we have not republished the phone number. Contact the firm directly.
No street-number match we could verify, so this is listed rather than pinned.
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Heritage House Museum
410 Caroline Street, Key West
Watercolors and prints by Alfred Crimi, F. Townsend Morgan, Stanley Wood, and Martha Sauer, and FERA artifacts.
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Gallery on Greene
606 Greene Street, Key West
Showcasing current, as well as early, works by former FERA artist Henry La Cagnina.
Since then: A commercial gallery. Check its opening hours before visiting.
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Sloppy Joe's Bar
201 Duval Street, Key West
Reproduction of painting by Erik Smith; original in the collection of the Key West Art & Historical Society.
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Key West Aquarium
2 Whitehead Street, Key West
Begun with Civil Works Administration funds and completed in 1935 with FERA funds. Contains reproductions os some original frescoes by FERA artist Alfred Crimi.
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Key West Art Center
301 Front Street, Key West
One of 66 community art centers administered by the WPA throughout the U.S., where art classes were taught and gallery space provided.
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Sculpture Garden
Mallory Square, Key West
Bust of Julius Stone, FERA administrator and creator of the Key West Art Project.
Several of these sites are working offices, private businesses or schools. Check opening hours, and ask at the desk before looking around. The artists are below.
The artists
The 19 artists whose Depression-era work survives in the Keys. These biographies are the Council's own, written for its printed brochure.
Lampbert Bemelmann
No information is known about this contributor who executed the design of Harold Lawson for the Islamorada Hurricane Monument.
Walton Blodgett
Born in Ohio, Blodgett attended Grand Central Art School in New York, where he also studied under George Luks. His Key West work went to U.S. government buildings in Washington, D.C. and around the world. His illustrations also appeared in Fortune, Art News, and Scribners Magazine, and his work was exhibited at galleries and museums throughout the country.
Alfred D. Crimi
Born in Sicily, Crimi studied fresco painting in Rome, and was a member of the National Academy of Design. He created a fresco at the Post Office Department in Washington, D.C., as well as numerous other murals and mosaics around the country. His work has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, the Chicago Art Institute and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also has been an instructor at the City College of New York, Pratt Institute and Pennsylvania State University.
Adrian Dornbush
Born in the Netherlands, Dornbush studied in Europe and at Wisconsin University. He lectured at the Chicago Art Institute and exhibited his work in international watercolor shows. He was the first director of the Key West artists group.
William Hoffman
Originally from Savannah, Hoffman studied at the Art Student's League of New York, as well as in Munich and Paris. With his first wife, Martine, he painted murals in the Carnegie Library in Savannah. Hoffman left Key West in 1936, working as a designer for Philco. In 1965, he retired and returned to Key West with his wife, Julia.
Richard Jansen
From Milwaukee, Jansen studied in Milwaukee and at the Art Student's League in New York. He taught at the Layton School of Art, exhibited in many leading watercolor shows, and was a contributor to Fortune.
Avery Johnson
From Illinois, and a graduate of Wheaton College and the Chicago Art Institute, Johnson was a member of many watercolor societies. His work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is represented in numerous private collections, including that of the late president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Johnson also taught at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, as well as other New Jersey Venues.
Henry La Cagnina
Born in New York, La Cagnina studied at Copper Union, the Phoenix Art Institute, and under numerous artists, including Norman Rockwell. He was associated with leading decorators in New York, and specialized in tapestries, screens and murals. He currently lives in North Carolina.
Sidney Laufman
Born in Cleveland, Laufman studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Student's League of New York. In the 1920s, he painted and exhibited in Europe, and his work is represented in the Whitney and Cleveland Museums and many private collections.
Harold Lawson
No information is known about him except for his design of the Islamorada Hurricane Monument.
F. Townsend Morgan
Originally from Pennsylvania, Morgan studied at Pratt Institute and the Art Student's League of New York. He is best known for his etchings shown in major print exhibitions. He succeeded Adrian Dornbush as the Director of Key West's artists group, and also worked as an instructor of printmaking during the latter phases of the WPA Art Program.
Peter Rotier
From Wisconsin, Rotier studied at the Art Student's League of New York and the Chicago Academy. He taught at the Milwaukee Art Institute and exhibited in New York, Chicago, Washington and international watercolor shows.
Richard Sargent
From Illinois, Sargent studied at the Washington Studio School and the Corcoran Academy. His work has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art and the Corcoran. He is best known as a watercolorist, and contributed frequently to Fortune and created many covers for the Saturday Evening Post.
Martha Watson Sauer
From Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Sauer studied with Henry Hensche and James Kirk Merrick. In 1938, she began teaching watercolor and weaving at Key West Art Center. She currently lives in Key West.
Erik Johan Smith
Born in the U.S., Smith studied in France, Italy and Sweden. His work is found in many private collections, as well as New York's Whitney Museum and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Jeanne Taylor
From Holly Springs, Mississippi, Taylor studied at the St. Louis School of Art, and taught drawing and painting at the Key West Art Center. She directed excavation of East Martello Tower and became the first curator of the East Martello Museum.
Joan Van Breeman
The scarce biographical information indicates that Van Breeman lived in South Florida.
Stanley Wood
From Carmel, California, Wood studied at Dexel and the Philadelphia School of Architecture, and taught at the California College of Fine Arts. His paintings have been in the Brooklyn and Cleveland Museums, the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, and many private collections. He also worked in almost every phase of pictoral arts, as well in architecture, and was a frequent contributor to Fortune. click here to close window