Author: Clark, Charles, S.

Publication Year:

Media Type: Periodical (article)

Summary:

Abstract:

CONTENTS
The Issues:
    Should the federal government fund the arts?
    Have the arts been harmed by controversies over art deemed obscene?
    Is improving the education system a good rationale for arts funding?
Background:
    A frontier without art: In the nation's early days, there was little interest in the arts.
Birth of the NEA:
    President Kennedy promoted federal funding of the arts, but it was President
    Johnson who signed legislation creating the National Endowment for the Arts
    (NEA).
Current Situation:
    Art and AIDS: An HIV-positive performance artist in Minneapolis prompts the
    Senate to cut the NEA budget.
Local Funding Outlook:
    In fiscal 1994, 25 of the 56 states and territories cut arts appropriations.
Outlook:
    Rethinking the NEA: Several proposals for revamping the NEA have been offered,
    among them a plan to shift all NEA funding to the states.
Ongoing Advocacy:
    Supporters of the arts must continually seek new ways to maintain funding.
Sidebars and Graphics:
    Where the money comes from: Funding for orchestras and dance and theatre
    companies held steady during the past decade.
Peer-review panels:
    The panels that select NEA grant recipients often spark controversy.
Attendance at Arts Activities:
    Art museums had the biggest attendance gains from 1982-92.
How Americans Feel About the Arts:
    Seventy-two percent of those polled say funding should not be curtailed even in
    hard times.
An Artist's struggle to follow her dream:
    Modern dancer Randi Meares of Arlington, VA has paid her dues.
Chronology:
    Key events since 1935.
Public art shakes people up:
    Debate is inevitable over art in airports and other public places.
At issue:
    Is the National Endowment for the Arts making a good case for arts funding?
For further information:
    Bibliography.
    Selected sources used.
The next step:
    Additional articles from current periodicals.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Funding