Frederick Alexander Pawla's Invisible Mural: Home
		March 26, 1973 Dr. Richard Williams Principal, Burlingame High School Carolan Avenue and Oak Grove Burlingame, California 94010 Dear Dr. Williams: I have been requested to give you my opinion about the worth of the murals in your school; several persons interested in their preservation are concerned about rumors that they may be removed to storage/ to the cafeteria/ or to another public building. I share their concern. I have made a study of many hundreds of art works done during the same period in which your paintings were made. From 1963 until 1967 I had a Ford Foundation grant to study art done for the Federal government under any of the l930-40's Treasury Department or W.P.A. relief works in Southern California. This study was conducted by the Archives of American Art of Detroit (the material gathered is now at the Smithsonian); the reason for the study was a reevaluation of a whole period of American art which had been neglected and generally not appreciated. Largely as a result of it, most art historians now feel that it was responsible for a renaissance of American painting and sculpture and graphics. The Government is today interested in gathering together as many works as they can get, back at Washington; the importance of the stationary works (such as your hall mural) is going to be very much before the public when the Government begins to celebrate the national Revolution Bicentennial - and you will be glad you have them. I have interviewed over 200 artists in Southern California, all of whom did work on one of the Federal projects, and feel qualified to state that the Frederick Pawla paintings are well done; his historical research seems to have been accurately conducted; the style of painting (while out-of-mode today) is similar to what his peers were doing at the time, and I consider them to be extremely important historically. The long mural in the hall was made for that space and fits it admirably; the several other paintings are pleasant at the far ends of the hall, If the latter received proper frames; if the long mural had the awful black frames painted in a light tone; and if the space below it were done in a greyed green -- the whole thing would sparkle and be much enjoyed by everyone. In my opinion it would be ridiculous to try to divide the mural and section it around in the cut-up wall space of the cafeteria; the whole message of migration and settlement would be lost; the art work would look ghastly against the acoustical board; and the students would soon mar the wails with misplaced food. I am asking the help of the Federal government, the Archives of American Art, the Oakland Museum Art Department and any individuals I am able to contact, in finding Mr. Pawla (who is living, I understand) to interview him; and to learn more about what other art work he has done. Next fall I would like to do an article about your murals for our journal, La Peninsula, of which I am editor. Sincerely, Betty Lochrie Hoag
	Frederick Alexander Pawla's Invisible Mural: Home