Focuses on the visual arts programs of the New Deal, highlighting the impact on the lives and work of American artists. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933 during the Great Depression, nearly 10,000 artists were out of work. Over the next decade, a series of programs known as the New Deal Art Projects was developed. Under the WPA and other programs, thousands of artists were able to earn a living while devoting themselves full-time to their art.