U.S. General Services Administration
Admire World-Class Artworks… At Your Local Federal Building?
By Javier Fernandez
Each day, thousands of people walk by the work of celebrated American artists, but you won’t find these artworks inside any museum. Instead, you just have to visit your local federal courthouse or office building. It may likely be a surprise to learn that these art pieces are curated by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Our fine art collection contains more than 23,000 murals, easel paintings, sculptures, and site-specific artworks that date back from the 1850s to the present day.
This October, GSA Pacific Rim Region celebrated National Arts & Humanities Month by showcasing some of the pieces in our fine arts collection on their social media channels. Each week featured artists working in one of four different media: paintings, mosaics, sculptures, and textiles. Some of the artworks featured during the month-long celebration included:
We The People: Summer Festivals in Orange County - John Valadez, 1998
Chicano artist John Valadez, celebrates our nation’s rich cultural diversity in his large mural housed within the Ronald Reagan Federal Office Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana, CA.
Lion Dandies - John Bisbee, 2013
Located outside the John M. Roll U.S. Courthouse in Yuma, AZ, Bisbee’s sculpture contrasts the organic shape of dandelions with the inorganic choice of iron railroad nails, which together fit perfectly with the city’s desert environment and railroad history.
Recognition of all Foreign Lands - Charles Richard Haines, 1963
Haines’ mosaic at the Federal Building on 300 North Los Angeles Street captures the optimism, hope, and idealism of early 1960s America. This scene, in particular, depicts five tall male figures representing harmony amongst the world’s yellow, black, brown, white, and red races.
To see more of Region 9’s works of art, check out our photos on Facebook.