Putting abstraction to work: Radio station murals and mechanized labour.

This article examines how abstract murals created by artists Byron Browne, Stuart Davis, Louis Schanker, and Hans Wicht for New York City's municipal radio station WNYC functioned as integral components of the station's infrastructure under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP). These murals, installed in WNYC's studios during a 1930s renovation, were designed to mediate between workers and the mechanized environment, promoting focus and psychological calm in line with contemporary industrial psychology and Taylorist principles. By conflating visual abstraction with music, the murals supported WNYC's dual goals of enhancing workplace efficiency and fostering a sense of intimacy with radio listeners, while also embodying broader cultural negotiations around mechanization, labor, and modern art. The article situates the murals within the political and social context of WPA cultural programs, municipal broadcasting, and the racialized history of mechanized labor, highlighting their role in both soothing employees and reinforcing the disciplinary functions of public radio.