By Daily Press staff
An artistic piece of Santa Monica is coming home. The City of Santa Monica has been awarded $113,241 from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment (CCHE) to help conserve and install in the new Main Public Library the historic Stanton Macdonald-Wright murals recently returned to the city by the Smithsonian. The funding was made possible under Proposition 40, which called for the creation of the CCHE to provide grants in support of the acquisition, development, preservation and interpretation of artifacts, buildings, sites and places that preserve and demonstrate culturally significant aspects of California history, and the city is one of 13 recipients.
Originally created and installed in 1935 in the reading room of the Santa Monica Public Library, this mural series titled “Technical and Imaginative Pursuits of Early Man” was the first federally funded mural project to be completed in Southern California under the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP, 1993 to 1994), the precursor to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Macdonald-Wright’s mural was enjoyed by the public for many years after its unveiling, according to officials. By 1964, when the library moved to a new building, the murals were transferred to the Smithsonian Institution where they were placed in storage.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 11, 2005. Read the original PDF.