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Against Itself
The Federal Theater and Writers' Projects in the Midwest

Paul Sporn		 Paul Sporn uncovers an intriguing and important aspect of American history in Against Itself, the first book devoted to federally funded art programs in the Midwest. through extensive archival research and interviews, he examines the controversial Federal theater project and the Federal Writers' Project which were inaugurated under the New deal's Works Progress Administration to assist unemployed artists and to bring the arts to the industrialized, often immigrant, communities of the United States.
Sporn evaluates the success of the programs by looking at the social, ethnic, and political factors involved, and concludes that while these government initiatives helped to foster an enthusiastic new audience for art, their accomplishments were tempered by internal and external conflicts. Against Itself is particularly valuable in understanding te artistic and moral debates over federal funding for the arts that continue today.		 1. Patronage and the Arts: From Hegemony to Counter Choice in the 1930s

2. Neglected Publics for Federal Patronage in the Midwest

3. The Politics of Running the FTP and FWP in the Midwest

4. The Making and Unmaking of Populist Esthetics: The Midwest Achievement of The FWP and FTP
 
$29.95s paper / ISBN 0-8143-2590-4

392 pages
12 illustrations

1995