My Green New Deal, Part 1

Trainwork USA, 1987 By Evelyn R. Swett

What happens
when you clean out your studio
and come upon a project that is more than 30 years old?

By the tracks, 1987 By Evelyn R. Swett

There are black and
​white prints in carefully labeled files,

Scrapbook images are so different from reality outside, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

two scrapbooks with detailed annotations,

32 year old slides in the artist's studio, 2019 by Evelyn R. Swett

and two binders full of color slides.

Lovers on a summer adventure, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

More importantly,
what happens when that project
contains raw material that relates directly to one
of the hottest topics in Washington DC?

Waiting in Kansas City, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

No, I'm not talking
about the impact or reality of an aging
​population or racism
​in our country.

Somewhere America, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

I'm talking about
The Green New Deal and
all the controversy it is inspiring.

The map. Two months, 14 cities. Lots of photographs.

It turns out,
that in 1987, at the age of 21,
I traveled around  the United States
on Amtrak, stayed with alumni ​from my college in twelve
​different cities, and researched murals painted
during the Great Depression in Post
Offices ​and other public
​buildings.

Slides, Farmersville, TX, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

The highlight was
visiting the small town of Farmersville, Texas,
photographing the mural in the post office and then, a few days
later, meeting the artist, Jerry Bywaters,
​who created that work.

Scrapbook page. Jerry Bywaters & sketches from a New Deal Art Project, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

The New Deal
is about as good as it gets
when it comes to the convergence of
creativity and climate
action.

All Aboard Amtrak - Somewhere America, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

FDR's programs 
were comprehensive, universal
and profoundly innovative. They impacted every
aspect of our country's infrastructure and re-inspired hope
for millions in the dream that once was
​once America.

Boyscouts, middle of the night in Kansas City, MO, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

Only by
getting out of the
world I knew, was I able to see the
great promise of FDR's vision. At the same time,
I witnessed the reality that fifty years
later, that promise remained
elusive for many,

Street corner murals, somewhere America, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

So here I am.
It's 8:30 on a Saturday night.
Calvin, the dog, is asleep at my feet and I am in
heaven, remembering a very long
Saturday night in the
summer of
​1987.

The waiting room, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

I was changing
trains in Kansas City. The 
Southwest Chief was six hours late.
There were no cell phones or laptop computers,
so we got to know each other in that pre-digital waiting-room
kind of way. We were more concerned for the
well-being of those involved in the
accident on the track, than
we were with being
​late.

Amtrak Stationmaster, 1987 by Evelyn R. Swett

Amtrak employees
provided  hats for the kids. I got
out my camera and made friends. These places,
people and works of public art I was so
inspired by thirty-two years ago
are why I care so
​much.

Gorgeous Compost, 8 Black & White, by Evelyn R. Swett

 When I say
that compost is like America,
I mean it. We are nothing without our diversity,
perseverance, and patience. We are also nothing without our audacity.
What the hell? Why not give it a try?
​A Green New Deal ​might
be just be what
we ​need.

Evelyn R. Swett, 1987

What happens
when I discover a project from
decades ago and my husband is out of town
​and I'm feeling reflective?
A lot, I guess.

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To learn more, check out The Living New Deal Project, which documents and celebrates New Deal
Public Art projects and also provides a helpful ​connection to the Green New Deal.