Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Anyone who’s been in the Madison County Post Office recently has likely noticed what appears to be construction taking place where a mural once hung on the wall. After reaching out to the local post office, Greene Publishing, Inc. was put into contact with Tiffany Rowland, Strategic Communications Specialist with the United States Postal Service in Atlanta, Ga. Rowland sent the following statement to Greene Publishing, Inc.:
“The Postal Service respects and embraces the uniqueness and diversity of every individual. And we encourage contributions of people from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, including those of our employees and members of the communities we serve.
“Between 1934 and 1943, the US Treasury Department, as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal program, commissioned more than 1,400 pieces of artwork to be created and installed in Post Office locations around the country for permanent public display.
“Traditionally, Post Office lobbies were frequently visited by community members from all walks of life, making those locations particularly accessible display sites for artwork.
“While it is the policy of the Postal Service to preserve and protect the historic artwork in its collection for future generations, we are mindful that certain murals generate strong feelings for some of our employees and customers.
“With that in mind, the Postal Service is working with the Smithsonian Institution to properly handle and safeguard the future of those pieces. We are evaluating identified pieces, and we will work to ensure that appropriate action is taken on the selected murals, including the possible installation of interpretive text near some of the murals, if deemed necessary.”
In August of 2020, the painting was covered in plastic and hidden from view.
The painting pays tribute to the long staple cotton industry that was the economic engine that drove much of North Florida, including Madison County, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. According to an article in the Florida Historical Quarterly, Madison was "one of the centers for ginning and shipping of Sea Island cotton in the late 19th century."
During the 1930s at the height of the Great Depression, many communities had new post offices and other public buildings built as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA was a federal program established by Pres. Franklin D Roosevelt as part of his "new deal" with the purpose of getting the American work force back to work. The WPA built roads, bridges, buildings, etc. At the same time there was a program called the Section of Fine Arts, sometimes called "the Section." The Section was a program that began in 1934 and was administered by the Procurement Division of the U.S. Treasury Dept. The main purpose of the Section was to select high quality art to decorate public buildings, such as the post office in Madison. This served to not only provide support to artists, but it also made fine art accessible to those who otherwise may not have been able to see works of fine art. Many of these paintings are mistakenly thought to be part of the WPA. Although the WPA did support arts programs, such as theatre and other visual arts, the Section was a different program entirely.
An artist named George Snow Hill was commissioned to paint several paintings in U.S. Post Offices, including the one in Madison. Hill also painted a mural in the Perry, Fla. Post Office depicting workers cutting cypress logs.
Although Greene Publishing, Inc. inquired about the future of the paining and what was being done behind the barriers currently erected at the post office, no specific answers were provided.