Inspired by WPA-era serigraphs (also called screenprints) used to advertise America’s national parks, Doug Leen’s work is both aesthetically and historically significant. The Work Progress Administration (WPA) was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing millions of unemployed people to carry out public works projects during the Great Depression. Hiring artists to make advertisements for national parks was just one of many New Deal projects. Leen, a former park ranger, has researched and salvaged these historic designs to bring the original posters back to life while also creating new contemporary serigraphs for today’s national parks.

KPCW Interview with Doug Leen