"Sweet and low or loud and clear,
there's a song each of us sings.
Come together, feel the power
of voices raised.
Though at times we strain to hear,
hope is calling; freedom rings,
always answering the sound
of voices raised."

-Voices Raised
a song about rights
sung by The Farmer,
played by Phyllis Chapell

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Our fate's bound
inextricably,
in justice and in liberty.
Rise or fall,
we'll always be
together, indivisibly."

-Indivisibly
a song about responsibility
sung by The Mother,
played by Venissa Santi

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"You've nothing to fear
but the fear that has bound you,
so join hands together,
continue the dance!"

-Life Turns on a Dime (reprise)
a reminder of life's changeability
sung by FDR,
played by Bill Gross

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Can you see
your own reflection in me,
the frailty and the sublime?
Can you offer hope
and opportunity?
Brother, sister, neighbor
- citizens all -
can you spare a dime?"

-Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
an iconic anthem from the 1930s
sung by the entire cast

words by Y. Harburg, music by J. Gorney
additional lyrics by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Change is in the making,
I feel it in the air...
I sense it everywhere.
It elates me, sates me.
I'm sure you will agree
change is not a part from me;
change is at the heart of me.
Change in the making
is what's happening to me."

-Change in the Making
a song about love & hope
sung by The Merchant & The Builder,
played by Khrista White &
Victor Rodriguez

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Being in the woods
I see the forest for the trees.
My conserving nature
is what is conserving me."

-Citizen Conservation
a song about the Civilian Conservation Corps
sung by The Veteran,
played by Lourin Plant

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Changing places,
the saving grace is
the work that we share,
side by side.
Can't deny
it's quite a ride
to reinvent our civic pride."

-Changing Places
a song about Federal Project
Number One
sung by The Immigrant,
played by Julian Coleman

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Life is a dimestore,
and we are its wares,
our dreams on a shelf
left where nobody cares.
A dime a dozen,
our story's the same:
nothing to hope for,
and no one to blame."

-Dimestore Lullaby
a song about escape
sung by The Mother,
played by Venissa Santi

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"I call forth
a new progressive army:
citizens of ev'ry faith and party!
If you've eyes to see
and hearts to understand,
if your burdened conscience
cares for your fellow man,
step up for a better tomorrow!
Step up for a brighter today!

-Step Up for a Better Tomorrow
a song announcing the WPA
sung by FDR,
played by Bill Gross

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"If you give a man a dole,
you save his body, not his soul.
If you give him work to do,
you save his body and soul, too!"

-Work Is Progress
a song celebrating WPA slogans
sung by FDR &
the Chorus of Liberty

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Once I fought hand to hand
with honor for my home.
Now I live hand to handout,
struggling on my own.
Though apathy's the enemy,
I battle my despair:
the absence here of Liberty
defended over there."

-Hand to Hand
a song about the patriotism
sung by The Veteran,
played by Lourin Plant

words and music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Freedom's fire burns constantly,
even when it seems obscure.
It's our responsibility
to keep the flame so it endures."

-Suns of Liberty
a song about freedom
sung by the Chorus of Liberty

words and music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Promises made,
promises broken,
America, will you be
the land of hopes,
both sung and spoken,
that we have yet to see?"

-Promised Land
a song about American ideals
sung by The Farmer &
The Immigrant,
played by Phyllis Chapell &
Julian Coleman

words and music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Though chaos swirls 'round us
and tries to confound us
by coaxing us into
a motionless trance,
we've nothing to fear
but the fear that has bound us,
so, bravely, we choose
to continue to dance."

-Life Turns on a Dime
a song about life's changeability
sung by FDR,
played by Bill Gross

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"I finally understood
and changed my views:
there really is no 'us and them,'
no differences, especially when
we're all stuck in
a big Pocket of Blues!"

-Pocket of Blues
a song about economic crisis
sung by The Merchant,
played by Khrista White

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"No livelihood, no dream to plan,
unable to survive –
what happened to my homeland,
where everyone could thrive?"

-Foundation of Hope
a song about unemployment
sung by The Builder,
played by Victor Rodriguez

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

To be able to make something from nothing is a handy skill to have and an essential ingredient for success in any endeavor.  Soups made from just water and root vegetables were commonplace during the 1930s.  This "upscale" version of a Great Depression soup attained its WPA moniker because employment with the agency allowed for the addition of meat and eggs to recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
6 quarts water
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups potatoes, chopped
2 cups salami or sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 to 3 teaspoons butter
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, whipped

Directions
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add all ingredients except eggs and simmer one hour.
Gently blend in whipped eggs and continue boiling for one minute.  Let soup chill for 8 hours or overnight to enhance flavor. Heat and serve

courtesy of Rita Van Amber

In its eight years of existence, the WPA changed the face of America. Hundreds of thousands of miles of road, innumerable public buildings, bridges, airports, and seaports – the very national infrastructure that we know today – was built by the WPA.  We're used to having accessible open spaces nearby because the WPA created so many public parks and recreational facilities.  The WPA's Federal Project Nmber One, including the Federal Arts Project, Federal Writers Project, Federal Theatre Project, and Federal Music Project fostered a greater appreciation for the arts and humanities through thousands of publicly accessible paintings, writings, plays, and music.  The Federal Writers project, along with the WPA's Historical Records Survey also captured living history, from the stories of migrant workers to the narratives of former slaves, and created interest in the preservation of historical records nationwide.

We live in a politically divisive time; our conversations about wealth, poverty, and the availability of opportunity are not unlike those of the 1930s.  Working for the common good feels like a quite uncommon occurence, and the very words "social justice" and "progressive agenda" strike fear in the hearts of some people.  Perhaps we can argue the politics and economics of the WPA; we can argue about its ultimate place in stimulating a recovery from the Great Depression.  But one thing remains indisputable, both in the historical record and in the stories collected by COSACOSA for the Spare A Dime project:  the WPA built the America we take for granted today.  And even more importantly, the WPA gave the country hope in a time of hopelessness. It offered opportunity – the possibility of a better life where there was none before – to millions of Americans.  It made us work together.

• The Custom House and Appraisers Stores, 200 Chestnut Street: “Custom House and Court Activities” and “Various Port Activities in Philadelphia,” 1938 mural in 31 panels by George Harding (pictured at right)

• The Kingsessing Post Office branch, 52nd Street and Baltimore Avenue: “Philadelphia Waterways with Ben Franklin Bridge” and “View of Downtown Philadelphia Skyline,” 1939 oils on canvas by Moses and Raphael Soyer

• The North Philadelphia Post Office branch, 2601 North 16th Street:  “Mail Delivery,” “City,” “Country,” “Northern Coast,” “Office,” “Home,” “Tropics,” and “History of Mail Transportation by Water,” 1939 tempera paintings by George Harding

• The Southwark Post Office branch, 925 Dickinson Street:  “Iron Plantation near Southwark – 1800″ and “Shipyards at Southward – 1800,″ 1938 oils on canvas Philadelphia by Robert E. Larter (pictured at right)

• The Spring Garden Post Office branch, 7th and Thompson Streets: “Streets of Philadelphia," 1938 oil on canvas by Walter Gardner 

• The William Penn Annex Post Office branch, 900 Market Street: “Mail Delivery – North, South, East, West,” 1941 bas relief sculptures by Edmond R. Amateis

• The William Penn Annex Post Office branch, 900 Market Street: “Law,” “Justice,” and two eagles,  1940 bas relief sculptures by Donald De Lue ("Justice" pictured below, complete with fasces – just like our Bok stage and the back of the 1935 Liberty dime!)

Fairmount Park is home to thirteen shelters built by the Works Progress Administration in 1938 and 1939.  Pictured at left, the Wissahickon Shelter, like all of the park's WPA structures, is situated along the path of the Wissahickon Creek.

Philadelphia's Central High School opened in 1838 and was the oldest high school in the United States not in New England. The school changed buildings many times over the years, including in 1854 and in 1900.  Its final and current iteration is a WPA-built structure from 1939, located at 1700 West Olney Avenue.

Philadelphia's 30th Street Post Office building, located at 30th and Market Streets, is a giant art deco masterpiece built by the WPA in 1935.  Serving as the city's main post office for over seventy years, it has been renovated into a multipurpose office building.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at some of Philadelphia's public art created by the WPA's Federal Project Number One.