The Whittier Art Gallery continued to exhibit the work of prominent artists while bracing for World War II and living through the most difficult of the War years. Exhibits of the work of Edgar Payne, Enjar Hansen, Eleanor Colburn, Clyde Forsythe, Sam Hyde Harris, Hanson Puthuff, and others, were shown between 1940 and 1944.

Faculty and students of both Chouinard and Otis Art Institutes were welcomed, featuring a lecture by Otis Dean Rosco Shrader, and exhibits of student artwork from both schools.

Amid black-outs, and food rationing, the Gallery also became a community gathering place, offering music and dance lessons for children, art program nights, and pot-luck dinners.