Presentation at EWU: Assessing the Bureau of Reclamation Art Collection

Beginning in 1968, during a period of growing environmental activism and concern in the U.S., the Bureau of Reclamation commissioned paintings from artists willing to depict the "imaginative aspects of the Reclamation Program." The result was a collection of paintings, drawings and etchings that often worked within the well-known traditions of American exceptionalism to promote the Bureau's activities. The collection is an example of the Bureau of Reclamation's self-promotion and "issues management" public relations style, which set a trend that U.S. corporations would later follow.


EWU Professor of English Paul Lindholdt, PhD, will present on this topic at 10 a.m., Feb. 18, 2010, for the EWU Retirees Association. The event will take place on the EWU campus in the Pence Union Building, room 263/265 PUB. Everyone is welcome. Here is a nice Inlander article about Lindholt's research.