WPA and other relief programs, 1933-1945, undated

Although the museum did not escape the hardships of the Depression, it greatly benefited from the programs instituted to relieve the unemployed and to revive industry. This series documents those relief programs and the projects conducted at the museum, which involved the registrar, the library and the educational department, and most significantly the construction projects, which literally transformed the museum, increasing the amount of useable space six-fold. Also documented here are programs that did not involve the museum directly but in which Kimball participated in an advisory capacity. The "Pre-WPA programs" subseries deals with relief programs initiated before the WPA began in 1935, and it documents programs involving PMA as well as those in which Kimball advised. The "WPA projects at PMA" subseries documents all the construction and departmental relief work instituted at the museum. The "Other WPA projects" subseries consists of material regarding the WPA in general, its national developments, and projects not involving the museum.

While the bulk of material consists of correspondence and notes, there is a significant amount of required forms documenting a project from its initial proposal, tracking its progress, and/or the workers hired. Brochures, pamphlets, bulletins and clippings provide contemporary assessments of the various relief programs and the directors assigned on the local, state and federal levels.