That is the credo of the National Endowment of the Art and Humanities (NEA and NEH) and today we must make sure they can continue to promote excellence in the arts. The arts must be accessible and available to every American, regardless of their walk of life, whether they live in a small town or a thriving metropolis. Thanks in large Part to the NEA, gone are the days when ballet, opera, theatre, symphony orchestra, museums and more were only to be found in a few cities. Participation in the arts has increased because of that accessibility.
The arts take us on adventures of self-discovery and nurture our souls, as individuals and as a nation. They sharpen our minds and create paths to new insights, opportunities; they broaden our awareness, imagination and creativity. I think it was Matisse who once remarked that creativity is the ability to see something in a new way each time you look at it. Art helps us to expand that creativity, and that ability to see something in a new way is important in every aspect of our individual and collective lives.
Art teaches us much about who we are and who we can be. Helps us understand one another and ourselves. It is important that our great country be respected and serve as a beacon of hope and light not just for our strength, but for our culture as well. When we are gone, that is one of the marks we will leave for generations to come.
We must make sure that everyone has the chance to be exposed to such wonder. The NEA takes Shakespeare productions and related educational materials to small and mid-sized communities that otherwise would not benefit. Their programs encourage reading for pleasure. Poetry initiatives for kids help them learn their literary heritage and also build their public speaking skills. Millions are taken to exhibits, plays, museums, experiences that can be truly transformative.
The NEA helps returning soldiers with resources to write about their experiences and adds them to archives if they wish, for future generations to read and learn from. Similarly, newspapers are being digitized so that they are fully searchable and available online--when this project is completed, it will have over 30 million pages of newspapers. K-12 teachers and community college teachers can take workshops that help them bring new tools and enthusiasm back into their classrooms. Public and school libraries are provided with classic literature collections that don't have them and papers and writings of our founding fathers and earliest Presidents are preserved so that we may all enjoy them. These are just a few things that the NEA and NEH did.
I have only heard about the endowments when, on a few occasions, it was reported that they had funded art that was controversial and offensive to many. At the time, I looked at their itemized budget and wanted to share with you what I learned - the work of these foundations is not about a few big name artists who may have received a grant, but millions of children and adults whose names you haven't heard of having the opportunity to explore and experience the grace and beauty of the arts.
Please call your Senators and let them know that in the Interior Appropriations Bill of 2007 you do not want NEA funding to be cut, as it would devastate many important programs that support the arts in communities across this country.
Good article Flavia, it was definitely an eye opener for me. I think most people associate the NEA with unnecessary government spending and supporting controversial shock artists like Mapplethorpe. But the NEA is a mere drop in the ocean of the overall federal budget, and as far as I'm concerned, if that drop brings Shakespeare and poetry to small towns across America, it is money well spent.
Posted by: JSM at May 22, 2006 02:14 PMMoney well spent, I agree.
Posted by: kevin at May 24, 2006 05:03 PMMostly when I write something here it has to do with the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. In my mind, if more of us were exposed to the beauty of arts, there might be less war. NEA is worthy of our time and money. Thanks Flav~
Mostly when I write something here it has to do with the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. In my mind, if more of us were exposed to the beauty of the arts, there might be less war. NEA is worthy of our time and money. Thanks Flav~
Great News! I just found out teh following from a great group called the Creative Coalition
The Senate Appropriations Committee today passed the Fiscal Year 2007 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. This important bill contains funding that is critical to America’s arts community, and The Creative Coalition (TCC) is grateful that members of the Senate Appropriations Committee have rejected proposed cuts to these vital programs. Of particular importance to TCC are the bill’s provisions relating to:
Arts Education.
The Senate bill provides $36.5 million in funding for the Arts in Education Program. This is $1.2 million more than the final funding level for 2006, though the amount allocated is still below the level needed for this program to reach the millions of young Americans who could benefit from increased arts education in school.
Public Broadcasting.
The bill as passed by the Committee provides additional necessary funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee rejected the Administration’s proposal to rescind money allocated to CPB in previous years. Instead, the Senate measure would provide an additional $400 million for public broadcasting in Fiscal Year 2009. Additionally, the bill provides $29.7 million for conversion of public broadcasting to a digital format and $36 million for the CPB’s project to replace their satellite interconnection system.
Posted by: Flavia at July 21, 2006 08:23 PM