Frank Cassara

Frank Cassara was an Italian-American artist, born in Sicily in 1913. During the Great Depression he worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps at Camp Swallow Cliff near Palos Park, Illinois. He was tasked with depicting life within the camp. It was quite the eye opener for the young artist, observing hardened World War I veterans working in the quarries and partaking in other requirements of the camp. In 1937, he was hired by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) where he painted a number of murals in Michigan. During World War II, he served as an artist in the Pacific Theater. He lived, worked and taught in Michigan until he passed in 2017 at the age of 104.