Posted November 2, 2006

Geography Awareness Week Presentation: "Illinois from Above and the Ground Level: Images of the Great Depression and New Deal Era ."

Don Luman.Dr. Donald Luman of the Illinois State Geological Survey will present "Illinois from Above and the Ground Level: Images of the Great Depression and New Deal Era" as part of the Department of Geography's Geography Awareness Week Activities. His presentation will be held Wednesday, November 15 at 7:00 pm in Morgan Hall 109.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted a number of reforms and programs during the New Deal Era of the 1930s. Among them were the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) and the Farm Security Administration (FSA), both managed by the US Department of Agriculture. Both programs aimed to assist farmers and both engaged in photographically documenting the land and lives of Americans during the Great Depression. The FSA photographed people and their lives on the ground, capturing the poignant images that have come to visually define the Depression. During the same time period, the AAA collected first-time nationwide aerial photography in order to assess the uses and condition of rural lands. These two photography collections, which have been separated from one another for many decades, will be reunited in this presentation.

An alumnus of the Western Illinois University Department of Geography, Dr. Luman works in the 3D Geologic Mapping Programs of the Illinois State Geologic Survey.

The public is invited to attend. Admission is free.