Dredging for Oysters by Alexander Rummler

Norwalk City Hall is home to a nationally recognized collection of New Deal Art.  The WPA murals at Norwalk City Hall comprise one of the largest and most important collections of restored Depression-era art in the country. Norwalk City Hall is also home to the Mayor’s Gallery, the People’s Gallery, and Ralph Sloan Student Gallery.  We encourage the public to visit City Hall and discover the art that is the legacy and artistic voice of our community.

WPA Murals and Tours 

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Works Project Administration (WPA) as part of the New Deal in 1935 at the height of the Great Depression. The aim of the WPA was to preserve the skills of 3.5 million workers by providing them with work relief instead of public assistance. From 1935 to 1941, WPA artists created more than 50 works of art for Norwalk’s public schools, libraries, and post offices. While much of the 2,500 pieces of WPA art nationally has been lost or destroyed, the murals and panels created for City Hall– the former Norwalk High School – as well as for other public buildings, comprise one of the largest and most important collections of restored Depression-era art in the country.

In partnership with the Norwalk Arts Commission, the Norwalk Historical Society invites the public to discover the 31 restored WPA murals at Norwalk City Hall with additional murals at other locations. For more information on self-guided tours, public group guided tours, and student programs at City Hall (and the Norwalk Historical Society), please visit https://norwalkhistoricalsociety.org/visit/norwalk-wpa-mural-tours/

Mayor’s Gallery

The Mayor’s Gallery is located outside of the Mayor’s office at City Hall. The exhibit focuses on different themes that are designed to celebrate our community’s diversity, introduce some of Norwalk’s many cultural organizations, and engage the public on issues that our community faces.

If you have an idea for a future exhibit and the willingness to help make it happen, please let us know at livelovenorwalk@gmail.com

People’s Gallery

The People’s Gallery is located on the first floor of City Hall. The gallery space is for creative expression by people who live and/or work in Norwalk. What sights, sounds, words, make our small city so special? Who are our artists, musicians, writers, performers, photographers and dancers? Who works in our creative economy?

If you have an idea for a future exhibit and the willingness to help make it happen, please let us know at livelovenorwalk@gmail.com.

Ralph Sloan Student Gallery 

The Ralph Sloan Student Gallery is located on the 3^rd floor of City Hall and is home to a collection of award-winning Norwalk Public School student work.

Ralph Sloan served as Superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools from 1983-1998. After he retired, the student art collection was named in his honor. During the annual Norwalk Public School’s City-wide Art Show, a jury of arts professionals, who attended Norwalk public schools, selects the best works, which are then framed and become part of the Ralph Sloan Student Gallery.

The Ralph Sloan Student art collection continues to grow each year, offering outstanding examples of Norwalk public school student art. To visit the digitally archived Ralph Sloan Student art collection, please visit https://www.norwalkps.org/curriculum/k-12_programs/visual_and_performing_arts/student_art_gallery