The Milwaukee WPA Handicraft Project
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The first 250 women reported to work on November 5, 1935. By the end of two weeks, 700 were employed. By the time the project ended in 1943, 5,000 people had benefited. Many of the workers were unskilled. They had to be taught basic skills such as how to hold a pair of scissors and use needle and thread. They earned about $50.00 a month. A large number of African-American women found work on the project. In fact, the project was racially integrated, which was not a common situation in the 1930s. The women were assigned to production units -- Rugs, Weaving, Block Prints, Dolls, and so on. Each unit was led by an experienced artist/designer. The unit leaders stressed quality of design and workmanship. This attention to detail can be seen today in the surviving articles.