During the Great Depression, Geller was among the thousands of artists who worked for the Federal Art Project. The Federal Art Project (FAP) was the visual arts arm of Roosevelt’s New Deal Works Progress Administration and operated from August 29, 1935, until June 30, 1943. The FAP's primary goals were to provide work relief for artists and to bring art and artists into the everyday life of communities via exhibitions, classes and public artwork in schools, hospitals, libraries, and government buildings. In the Southwest, there was a strong focus on reviving and documenting traditional culture. Geller’s work for the FAP brought him to the Southwest and exposed him to Native American and Spanish American communities.