Introduction

When creative works enter the public domain in the United States, we, The People, collectively own the work and are free to remix, reuse, and adapt them as we please. Every year, thousands of creative works enter the public domain, opening new avenues for creative expression for artists, writers, and musicians, who often use other creators’ works for inspiration. The Public’s Domain: Transforming Iconic Works of Fiction and Sound brings together artists from across the NYU community who created a new work of art inspired by an original work that entered the public domain in 2025.

The original works referenced in this show made their debut in 1929, a tumultuous year in U.S. history marked by a devastating stock market crash and the subsequent Great Depression. The decade prior to 1929, known as the Roaring Twenties, conjures images of flappers, lavish parties, and live jazz performances. Less often discussed is the cultural and political turmoil that afflicted the United States during this decade. Egregious affronts to personal liberty occurred, such as the resurgence of the Klu Klux Klan, the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, and the passing of the National Origins Act of 1924, which set highly restrictive immigration quotas based on nationality and prohibited entry to Asian immigrants entirely. With nativism and racially-motivated violence widespread across the country, the devastating economic crash of 1929 turned the Roaring Twenties into a faint whisper.

In addition,1929 was a time of intense division among Americans: rich and poor; progressive and fundamentalist; city-dwellers and rural residents; Blacks and whites; and feminists and proponents of “traditional” family values. These themes are reflected in many works of art from that period and remain relevant today, as evidenced by the contemporary interpretations currently on display. After all, art is a mirror of society, reflecting back to us our beauty, our imperfections, and everything in between.