Kathy Flynn talk
Santa Fe Public Library
October 14, 2021

The Santa Fe Public Library welcomed Kathryn Flynn to speak about the art and the National New Deal Preservation Association’s mission on October 14th, 2001.

Ms. Flynn is the Executive Director of the National New Deal Preservation Association and resides in Santa Fe, NM. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Education from University of Utah and Master’s from Southern Illinois University in Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology. She held various administrative positions in New Mexico ’s state government’s health departments and finished out her career as the Deputy Secretary of State. During that time, she became fascinated with the many and varied New Deal treasures around the state including public buildings, public art, and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) accomplishments in state parks and monuments and spent many hours interviewing as many participants as possible about their memories of that part of their lives. She has authored three books on the subject and assisted on another one. Her first two solo books are Treasures on New Mexico Trails: New Deal Art and Architecture and The New Deal: A 75th Anniversary Celebration. She wrote an expanded guide to New Deal sites in New Mexico titled Public Art and Public Architecture in New Mexico-1933-43: A Guide to the New Deal Legacy, which includes offerings in 90 cities and towns around the state on New Mexico. She also assisted with A More Abundant Life.

NNDPA HISTORY
The NNDPA was created in 1998 thanks to individuals from various Secretary of State offices representing various states nationwide who came together in Santa Fe to discuss all the New Deal accomplishments that were still serving Americans in their individual states and concern that all of those sites needed to be preserved, conserved or restored. Some of those present ended up as part of the first Board of Directors of the newly formed non-profit organization and the current Boards of our groups continue to work hard to carry out the established mission.

The National New Deal Preservation ASSOCIATION (NNDPA) and its New Mexico Chapter are non-profit, tax-exempt 501-c-3 organizations devoted to preserving the country’s New Deal legacy through the identification, documentation, preservation and public education about the New Deal and its profound impact on Americans in the Great Depression—specifically through the visual and performing arts, literature, crafts, structures, and environmental projects.

Another NNDPA chapter is in Colorado Springs, CO. Our national organization is always ready to help other chapters get started and the current board has a number of members that specialize their knowledge in the various ND projects. Since NNDPA started, four other “sister organizations” with similar New Deal goals exist in California, Maine, NY City and Chicago. All are in communication with the Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, NY.

Learn more
Our National website: https://nndpa.org/ or at https://newdeallegacy.org/
The New Mexico Chapter website: https://nndpanewmexicochapter.org/

Please consider becoming joining as a member of our organizations and we always appreciate donations. This helps us further our missions.

We have also received generous grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New Mexico Humanities Council. These grants continue to help us with our out-reach programs.

For links to other Organizational Partners: https://nndpanewmexicochapter.org/about