Joseph Maresca

Joseph Maresca was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1946, and currently resides in Rhinecliff, Rhinebeck, NY. He received his BFA in industrial design from Pratt Institute, and a master’s degree in arts education from New York University. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums, including the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Katonah Museum of Art, and even the White House—in honor of his design for an official White House tree ornament depicting Vanderbilt Mansion. Academically, Maresca has taught as an adjunct professor at New York University and at City University of New York, and has authored a book—WPA Buildings: Architecture and Art of the New Deal (2017)—about the influence of Works Project Administration architecture. The book examines the social impact on American cities of the imposing government buildings that were funded by the WPA to restore public confidence during the Great Depression.