Championing New Deal Public Art

Urban Affairs faculty member Rachel Brahinsky contributed to this lovely mini-documentary on the life of Masha Zakheim, daughter of a New Deal artist and protector of many of San Francisco’s New Deal murals. Zakheim, who passed away in 2014, wrote the key text on the history of the Coit Tower murals, and was a champion of the kind of political public art that was funded by FDR’s New Deal.

In her urban history classes, Brahinsky explores the tension between public and private spending in the evolution of urban space, including art and architecture. She also serves on the board of directors for the Living New Deal Project, a non-profit group that is mapping New Deal art and infrastructure nationally. She was interviewed for the documentary by Laura Paull at 3200Stories, a cultural/political blog produced by the San Francisco Jewish Community Center’s 3200Stories.org