Designs for Democracy
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/designs_for_democracy/index.html
About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 6–12
- Subjects
- arts (fine art), social studies (civics and government, United States history)
- Provider
- NARA National Archives and Records Administration
Legal
This catalog record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. This license applies to the content of this page only and does not apply to the referenced website.
Designs for Democracy “is an exhibition of nearly 125 design drawings selected from the vast holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration and its Presidential Libraries. The designs, all permanently valuable Federal records, were selected to illustrate 200 years of Government drawings. They are also works of art. Displayed here are elegant watercolor paintings, exquisite ink and wash drawings, bold charcoal and pencil sketches, and finely executed engineering details. Some bear a well-known designer`s or artist`s signature or the imprimatur of approving Government officials, but many are unsigned and their creators unknown. This exhibit is organized chronologically to demonstrate changing styles and technological advances, as well as to illustrate the evolving role of the Federal Government in American life.”
In addition to these works of art, NARA provides an introduction to the materials in the About this Exhibit section. This introduction constructs a context for students to learn more deeply about these messages conveyed about the art. Students will read about symboism, improvements in federal design, science & technology, and artistic expression.
