The Capitol Murals in the Rotunda of the Utah State Capitol Building, one of the New Deal Funded Projects in Utah.

The Public Works of Art Project
1933-1935

This project was authorized by the civil works administration – December 1933 – to employ artists on public works of art.

Edward Bruce said “This is the greatest opportunity that the artists of this or any other country have ever had to show their metal – it is a call to them to make good and prove that they have something worth while to say – it is an opportunity to sell themselves to the country and I know they will answer the challenge.”

The names and works of Utah artists selected

• Murals for the State Capitol – designed by Lee Greene Richards, painted by Lee Greene Richards, Gordon Cope, Waldo Midgley, Henry Rasmussen.
• Mural for Logan Library – Irene P. Fletcher
• Decorative Painting for Veterans Hospital – Edwin Evans
• Decoration for Salt Lake City Library – Florence Ware
• Drawings of historical buildings of Utah – Carlos Anderson
• Pictorial records of Civilian Conservation Camps – Ranch Kimball
• Paintings by James T. Harwood, Henri Moser
• Sculpture, Indians of Utah – Millard Malin, Caroline Parry (Chief John Duncan and Unca Sam)

The Murals are Presented to the State

The murals were presented to Governor Henry Hooper Blood and the State of Utah on March 10, 1935, coinciding with the closing of the 33rd annual Utah Art Institute’s exhibition that was held in the building. Governor Blood shared his thoughts at the ceremony:

“The work which you see in the dome of this building depicts the various events leading up to the settlement of Utah and further events in its development. I hope the sons and daughters of all of you will come to see these paintings and join in the spirit of the pioneer. I take the greatest pleasure in accepting this splendid work as a permanent addition to the beauty of one of the finest capitol buildings in the United States.” – Salt Lake Telegram, March 11, 1935