An upcoming program will feature the first public gallery installation of paintings created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Arts Project
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the Santa Monica Conservancy will host an open house Wednesday celebrating the restoration of New Deal–era art and architecture at Santa Monica High School.
The event, scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 3, begins at the school’s Barnum Hall before moving to two sites recently honored with the 2025 Preservation Award for Stewardship: the Senior Bench and the Viking Warrior statue.
Speakers include SMMUSD Facilities Manager Carey Upton and Conservancy representatives Nina Fresco and Ruthann Lehrer. Organizers said the program will feature the first public gallery installation of paintings created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Arts Project, including Conrad Buff’s large-scale piece “Westward Ho,” which will be showcased in Barnum Hall.
Barnum Hall, a landmark of Moderne architecture, contains decorative elements produced during the 1930s as part of federal investment in public art and infrastructure. The Viking Warrior statue, once slated for demolition, has been restored and placed in a new prominent location, while the Senior Bench — decorated with petrachrome murals — has been relocated and rehabilitated.
The Conservancy noted that the New Deal era reshaped Santa Monica following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, which destroyed local school buildings and temporarily pushed classes into tents.
Federal grants fueled reconstruction across the city, building structures such as City Hall and the post office and commissioning artwork that remains part of the community’s heritage.
