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Records of the First Lady's Office (Clinton Administration)
Melanne Verveer's Subject Files
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VIN
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
Melanne Verveer
100 OEOD
9:00
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
File NEA
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20506-0001
202/682-5400
Office of the Chairman
MEMORANDUM
August 7, 1997
To:
Melanne Verveer
/
Ellen Lovell
From:
Jane Alexander Jackas
Dick Woodruff Dr
We are pleased to be sitting down with you, John Hilley and others from the White House
and OMB in September to discuss the NEA's legislative situation going into the House-
Senate appropriations conference. We hope you find the following memo helpful in
developing your strategy over the next few months.
CURRENT STATE-OF-PLAY
We expect Senate action on the appropriation bill early in September. Prior to the August
recess, Senator Stevens set up a Senate task force to come up with some "bipartisan solution,"
with the intent being to buy off the House and avoid a veto. We believe, as do our
supporters, that the Senate should hold fast, at least until conference. It doesn't make sense
for the Senate to strike a deal with itself when the House will demand additional terms in
conference.
LEGISLATIVE OPTIONS ON THE TABLE
Several legislative proposals are on the table: the five year Jeffords-Kennedy authorization
reported by the committee; a four year authorization introduced by Regula; and an evolving
proposal shopped by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (see the attached side-by-side). Helms
will eventually come forward as well with some type of content restriction amendment.
Each of the legislative proposals share one or more of the following characteristics: NEA-
NEH merger, block-grant more money to the states, refocus on arts education, and
administrative cost caps.
DETERMINED TO BE AN
ADMINISTRATIVE MARKING
INITALS: KBH DATE: 4/25/13
2013-0534-5
WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HAPPEN
We see an outside chance of enacting a comprehensive, multi-year authorization.
Furthermore, we would take certain objectionable aspects of the above-mentioned bills to get
it. For example, we could take the Jeffords proposal to increase the state block grant from
the current 35 percent to 40 percent.
THREE OPTIONS WE CONSIDER TO BE UNACCEPTABLE
1. Appropriation of less than $99.5 million: Our understanding of the political situation is
that the House leadership knows that one way or another the money is going to be
appropriated for the arts. The outstanding question is how much will be appropriated to the
NEA and how much to the states.
2. Artificial cap on NEA administrative expenses: We are not aware of any other agency
with such a statutory cap, nor of any compelling rationale for one. NEA laid off 89
employees and downgraded 19 positions in 1996. Administrative costs have decreased from
$24.8 million supporting 264 FTEs in FY 95, to $16.98 million supporting 154 FTEs in FY
97. A 12 percent cap, as proposed in the Jeffords bill for FY 99 and beyond, would force the
lay-off of 50 more people, nearly one-third of the remaining staff, leaving the agency unable
to serve the public adequately. NEA has certain unavoidable fixed costs irrespective of
whether the agency has $50 million or $500 million to give away in grants.
3. Substantial increase in the state block grant: We cannot accept any increase in the 35
percent currently block granted to the states unless such an increase is part of a larger multi-
year authorization or an increase in the overall budget. Under no circumstances could NEA
ever accept a block grant exceeding 45 percent. Since the Congressional impetus behind
block grants this year is an effort to see NEA funds distributed more equitably around the
country, a conceivable alternative to increased block grants might be the imposition of some
overall limitation on the amount recipients in any one state might receive in total NEA dollars
in any given year. This would of course impact negatively on states such as New York and
California which have the greatest number of arts organizations applying to us and receiving
grants.
OTHER SERIOUSLY PROBLEMATIC ISSUES
1. Arts education: While recognizing the political value of arts education, we are concerned
about provisions in the Jeffords and Regula bills which refocus all NEA grants toward arts
education, thus endangering traditional NEA support of the creative process. In addition,
some arts education groups are now attempting to rewrite the definition of arts education to
restrict projects to those performed by "certified teachers," thus cutting the arts institutions out
entirely.
2. Increased matching requirements: The overall thrust of the Jeffords bill is contradictory in
the sense that it attempts to increase grants to rural and underserved areas, yet imposes
burdensome matching requirements that only well-established institutions will be able to
afford. While the match requirement for the state block grants remains 1:1, most grants to
arts institutions would have to be matched 5:1 or 3:1 under Jeffords. We recommend that the
current 3:1 and 1:1 match requirements be left unchanged. Grantees already find it more
difficult to match project-specific grants than the old seasonal support grants that we made
prior to the 1996 Congressional restriction.
3. Merger of NEA and NEH: The Regula bill contemplates a merger with separate arts and
humanities and program offices. We understand NEH is strongly opposed to merger, and we
believe it should only be accepted as a concession in return for something gained.
NEA Legislative Options as August 7, 1997
Current
Jeffords
Regula
Hutchison (1)
Hutchison (2)
Funding
35% to States--flat
40% to States--flat
50% to States--flat
75% to States by
60% to States by
Breakdown
distribution
distribution
distribution
Population
Population &
Distribution
Rural Population
65% Competitive Panel
60% Competitive Panel
50% Competitive
Distribution
Review
Review:
Panel Review for
20% Competitive
40% National
Arts Education
Panel Review
35% Competitive
10% Direct
Grants Only
Panel Review
10% Arts Education &
Underserved
Structure
4 Divisions
All Categories; Arts
Merge NEA & NEH
Merge?
Merge?
Education and
and Rename
Leadership
Underserved are Priority
Council?
Council?
Abolish Council
Reduce Council
Match
3:1 or 1:1
40% National--5:1 or 3:1
1:1
?
?
10% Direct--1:1
10% Arts Education &
Underserved--1:1
Admin
No Admin Cap
12% Admin Cap beginning
No Admin Cap
5% Admin Cap
5% Admin Cap
FY 99
Other
New Panel Restrictions
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20506-0001
202/682-5400
Office of the Chairman
August 1, 1997
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
It has been an honor to be part of your administration and I am
proud that you selected me to head the National Endowment for the
Arts almost four years ago. My term will be ending on October 8th
and I plan to return to private life and my career in theatre and
film.
Under your leadership, the administration has made sure that the
Arts Endowment will continue to serve Americans everywhere. It has
been a difficult time for the agency, as you know, but I'm
confident that Congress will provide adequate funding to take the
agency securely into 1998 and beyond. Your support of the arts and
the humanities in your February State of the Union address was a
beacon of light, not only to artists in our country but to our
legislators, indeed to all Americans. I have heard from countless
people how thrilled they were to hear a President of the United
States, for the first time ever in such an important address,
solidify the place of the arts in all our lives.
Despite cutbacks of almost 40% in the Endowment's budget in 1996,
I believe I will be leaving the agency in strong shape and on firm
ground. The NEA is now more accountable to the American people for
the money it awards; the agency has been totally restructured; its
review panels of private citizens rotated more often; and careful
processes now exist to assure that we know how our dollars are
spent.
My travels on behalf of the Administration took me to all 50 states
and Puerto Rico - almost 200 cities and towns. The arts and artists
everywhere are vibrant and unique. They need our continued faith
and financial support.
When I came to office I convened the first federal conference on
the arts ever held, "ART 21: Art in the 21st Century". As I exit
office I leave with another initiative, "American Canvas" which
seeks to help communities large and small build an infrastructure
for their arts, create a legacy for those who come after them and
inspire the children of today - our leaders of the 21st century.
Part of that pride is celebrating all we are through the arts at
the millennium.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20506-0001
202/682-5400
Office of the Chairman
page 2
Again, let me thank you and the First Lady and your arts advisor,
Melanne Verveer, for your unwavering confidence in me and for the
wonderful opportunity to represent you and the American people as
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sincerely yours,
Tone
Jane Alexander
Chairman
SIX MYTHS ABOUT
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
Over the past several years, there have been a half-dozen arguments widely used against the
idea of federal funding for the arts. Based on faulty or incomplete reasoning, these myths
about the Arts Endowment can be rebutted by a clear presentation of the facts.
MYTH #1: Support for the arts is not a legitimate function of the Federal government.
FACT: All great nations support the arts. Recognizing that the not-for-profit arts are
vital to a society's well-being and that they could not survive without public patronage,
national governments throughout history have helped nurture and sustain cultural activity.
Future generations will judge this era of our country's life by the level of our national
commitment to supporting the finest expressions of the human condition. The United
States today spends 64 cents per capita to support the National Endowment for the Arts.
In Canada and France, per capita support for the arts is $32. In Germany, where the city
of Berlin provides $130 million alone for its two major opera companies, the figure is $27
per person. In creating the NEA in 1965, the Congress wisely noted that "An advanced
civilization must not limit its efforts to science and technology alone but must give full
value and support to the other great branches of scholarly and cultural activity in order to
achieve a better understanding of the past, a better analysis of the present, and a better
view of the future."
MYTH #2: At a time of fiscal restraint, the arts are a luxury we simply cannot afford.
FACT: At a cost of 64 cents per person, the Endowment is an investment that reaps great
dividends. Every dollar awarded by the NEA attracts $12 from state and local arts
agencies, corporations, foundations, businesses and other private entities. The not-for-profit
arts create $37 billion in economic activity and support 1.3 million jobs. They also return
$3.4 billion to the Federal treasury through income taxes, 20 times the budget of the NEA.
Locally, the arts stimulate economic activity, create jobs, spur urban renewal, and attract
tourism and new businesses.
MYTH #3: The Arts Endowment is "elitist," a subsidy for the upper-class.
FACT: The National Endowment for the Arts supports cultural activity that reaches
Americans of every race, class, ethnicity and geographic region. The agency opens the
door to millions of school children, including "at-risk" youth. It supports community
festivals, rural chamber music, art exhibitions in libraries and town halls, lawn concerts,
drama in the park, and many other events where families can experience the arts. Without
the NEA, however, the arts could very well become inaccessible to the average American,
affordable only to the well-to-do.
MYTHS - Page 2
MYTH #4: The loss of public funding for the arts will readily be replaced by the private sector.
FACT: The presumption that private giving will supplant any loss of federal funds is
without foundation. In fact, corporate support for the arts has been declining over the past
decade. Although many of the highest quality arts organizations are filling their houses for
virtually every performance, they are operating at deficits of over $1 million. Despite the
fact that ticket sales and other earned income are higher than ever before, escalating costs
have made it increasingly difficult for not-for-profit arts groups to make ends meet.
Symphony orchestras, for example, must raise an average of $26 per seat per performance
over and above ticket prices just to break even. Arts organizations work tirelessly at
fundraising, exploring every possibility to cultivate new sources of revenue. Grants from
the Arts Endowment not only provide vital funds in and of themselves, but the leveraging
effect of these grants, which require at least a dollar-for-dollar match, stimulates private
giving many times over the required match. Taking away the federal "seed" money will
not encourage arts funding to grow, but just the opposite. Leaders from the philanthropic
sector have flatly stated that they would not be able to take up the slack.
MYTH #5: The states are better suited to support the arts.
FACT: Grants from the NEA are a matter of national prestige, a stamp of excellence that
relies on the most extensive, democratic and highly regarded system of peer review in the
nation. The agency's funding decision provide valued direction to private and corporate
funders. NEA grants, more so than state grants, are also powerful fundraising instruments,
attracting $12 from local and private entities. The Endowment is uniquely positioned to
support projects that serve the whole nation and help Americans share their diverse
cultures with one another. NEA funding encourages performing arts groups to travel
outside their states, often to rural areas which are traditionally underserved by the arts.
The Endowment's Dance On Tour program, for example, enables first-rate dance
companies to reach new and appreciative audiences. The agency also helps regionally based
culture -- the music of Appalachia or artworks of Native American tribes, for example -
reach wider audiences outside their indigenous areas.
MYTH #6: The best of the arts will survive in the open market.
FACT: Throughout history, the not-for-profit arts have never been able to sustain
themselves in the commercial market. Consider the great masters who died penniless, the
impressionist painters who were reviled in their day, or the myriad other great artists who
were "ahead of their time." Time is the truest measure of great art, but without public
subsidy, only commercially viable art will be created. Popular culture does not necessarily
reflect the most enduring expressions of a civilized society.
THE ARTS& MEDIA
COVER STORY
Pulling the
Fuse on
ture
The conservatives' all-out assault on
federal funding is unenlightened,
uneconomic and undemocratic
By ROBERT HUGHES
EMOCRATIC NATIONS," WROTE THE EVER
D
prescient Alexis de Tocqueville in De-
mocracy in America, long ago in 1840,
"will habitually prefer the useful to the
beautiful, and they will require that the
beautiful should be useful." What
would Tocqueville have thought of today's assaults on the
fabric of America's public culture?
The Republican leadership in Congress means to sever
all links between American government and American cul-
ture. It wants the Federal Government to give no support at
all to music, theater, ballet, opera, film, intelligent television.
literature, history, archaeology, museum work, architectur-
al conservation and the visual arts. It intends to abolish fed-
eral funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the
National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corpora-
tion for Public Broadcasting. And it wants to do it tomorrow.
This plan isn't economic. Even its proponents have
largely given up on the absurd fiction that canceling
America's meager $620 million worth of cultural pro-
grams will do anything to reduce the present budget
deficit of $180 billion. Not when a Senate committee last
month approved a pork load for the military of $7 billion
more than the Pentagon asked for.
ILLUSTRATION FOR T.ME BY PAYNE
61
Andres Serrano's
Piss Christ
Fiscal discipline? In fact, the project is cultural defolia-
tion-an attempt to destroy "liberal" habitat. If there was any
doubt about its momentum, the young velociraptors in Con-
gress-freshman ideologues, mostly, squeaking with Newtish
zeal-buried it three weeks ago. These boys and girls aren't
even cultural Neanderthals. They're Jurassic. On culture, the
limbic forebrain can hold one sound bite at a time, courtesy of
Rush Limbaugh or George Will. PBS? "Elitist welfare for the
rich." The NEA? "State-subsidized porn." The NEH? "P.c. revi-
sionist history." By a vote of 230 to 194, driven by a rump of
dozens of junior members, the House voted to "zero out" all
funding for the NEA by October 1997 and phase out the agency
in two years. The NEH and CPB are also in peril.
This blitzkrieg reached the Senate last week. The Appro-
priations Committee sided with the House, voting to cut next
year's NEA budget 40%. But there are still plenty of Republican
voters (and not a few legislators) who would
WHICH OF THE
like to see their local symphony orchestra,
PROPOSALS
town theater or children's art-education pro-
gram survive, and know that the prospects of
IN CONGRESS FOR
their survival are bound up with continuing,
FUNDING THE ARTS
if modest, support from the NEA. Though the
DO YOU FAVOR?
NEH and CPB will prove much harder to kill,
the prospects of the NEA'S survival in the long
Cutting federal funding of the
run are dim.
NEA 5% a year for the next
Will this axman's folly put America alone
five years.
among the nations of the world? Well, not ex-
37%
actly. Little of Haiti's national budget goes to
Continuing federal funding of
culture. Zaïre does not support a national
the NEA at current levels.
theater, and cultural grants in Rwanda, even
30%
for victim art, may be assumed to be fairly
small. No documentaries infected by liberal
Eliminating all federal funding
bias get aired on Tehran state television. Sad-
of the NEA within two years
dam Hussein's boys are not straining to un-
21%
derwrite feminist histories of, say, the Marsh
From telephone past of 1,000 adult
Arabs of the Euphrates.
Americans taken for IMPORN an July 19-20.
by Yarkelovich Partoers for Sampling -
Clearly the American public culture
23% Not stites" onitted
imagined by Newt Gingrich and his fellow
ideologues in and out of Congress, including their insatiable
Fundamentalist Christian right wing, will not seem strange
everywhere in the world.
But in the more civilized parts it will. And to many Amer-
icans-who are by no means the "cultural élite" that conserva-
tive rhetoric invokes with such shrill banality-it already does.
Of course, the defunding of the endowments isn't going to kill
off the arts in America. Painters, dancers, actors are tough as
weeds and can grow in cracks in the concrete. There was great
art, drama, writing and scholarship in America before 1965,
Congress is now full of indignant wannabe reformer
when the endowments were founded. Dedicated people cre-
ate ingenious strategies of survival for themselves. But why
should they have to? By what meanness, through what smug
Philistinism-and, above all, on what actual evidence-do our
Jacks-in-office decree that the arts and humanities are be-
neath the interest of the American people and unworthy of
their collective support?
Performance
To conservative rhetors in Congress, whatever is not blandly
artist Karen
or angrily populist is élitist. In their resort to this weasel word, the
Finley
patriotically correct on the right are as bad as the politically cor-
rect on the residual left-worse, in fact, because they have more
power. How all these folk would hate Thomas Jefferson if he
walked back in with his idea that democracy was meant to foster
a "natural aristocracy" of talent and intelligence. Naked élitism!
Twyla Tharp
62
NATIONAL
Hypocrisy reigns. The right com-
plains (with reason) about the dumb-
ENDOWMENT
ing-down of American education and
FOR THE ARTS
then wants to kill one of the essential
means of its spread and improvement,
The chance of getting
the National Endowment for the Hu-
enough money for the
manities. It laments the depravity of
NEA to become truly
effective is now very slim,
network and cable TV, especially in the
and the punitive funding
stew of commercial gunk it serves up
cuts have weakened it
to children, then wants to cut all feder-
so far that it may not be
al funding for PBS, the only source of
worth keeping alive
decent educational programming for
children and of intelligent documentaries for grownups.
"As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing public about
[PBS]," Gingrich crowed to a roomful of like-minded enthusi-
asts in Washington's Capitol Hill Club last February. "It's an
élitist enterprise. Rush Limbaugh is public broadcasting." Yeah,
and so is Howard Stern-and Jenny Jones is Ken Burns, and
Tom Clancy is Toni Morrison. The fact is that no system with
as broad and loyal an audience base as PBS repeatedly garners
GREG LIAISON DONA ANN MCADAMS DAVID COOPER GALLERY
can be called élitist. A national poll conducted for PBS by Opin-
ion Research Corp. indicates that fully 84% of Americans want
to see PBS funding maintained or increased and that 82% of
them-79% Republican-feel PBS programming content is "nei-
ther too conservative nor too liberal."
But Newt and his -oids resent PBS'S small measure of inde-
pendence from "market forces"-from corporate and hence, ul-
timately, political control. More important still, the Republicans
want a carcass they can toss to their extreme right. The Christian
Coalition and other Fundamentalists, such as the Rev. Donald
Wildmon's religious hit squad, the American Family Association,
believe PBS is a factory of pinko, homosexual, you-name-it agit-
prop and want to see it abolished for love of censorship.
Some lefties they have there on PBS: William F. Buckley Jr.,
Ben Wattenberg and that far-famed enemy of capitalism Louis
Rukeyser. Like Pat Robertson's views on "creation science,"
this belief hinges on ignoring the fossil evidence. Sure, PBS has
run programs exposing business fraud, supporting homosexu-
al and other minority claims to rights, satirizing religion
(however mildly) and questioning some government prac-
tices. Sometimes it has been guilty of "imbalance," but at least
it hasn't completely succumbed to the emasculating belief that
every assertion in a given program should be at once neutral-
ized by its opposite. Compared with public television anywhere
else, from England's BBC to state broadcasting outfits in France,
Germany, Italy or Australia, PBS has been cautiously middle of
the road in its political alignments, and its major source of
funding, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has been
who know next to nothing about American culture
dominated by conservatives ever since it was created in 1967 by
the Johnson Administration.
Guggenheim
The conservatives' thrust against PBS, therefore, seems to be
Museum
faltering. On this Gingrich is too extreme for his own troops.
The Speaker of the House, when he speaks on cultural affairs,
is truly a wonder. Here he is, prating and preening like a par-
rot on a stump about the need to renew American civilization.
This is the guy who hates the '60s but reincarnates them in his
40-acres-and-a-laptop Utopianism; who thinks kitsch "futurol-
ogists" like Alvin and Heidi Toffler are gurus and that a fund-
raising cultist like Arianna Huffington is an intellectual. He
filled his cable-TV sermons about "Renewing American Civi-
lization" with brazen plugs for corporations that contributed to
his funding operation, GOPAC. He wants to destroy the nation-
63
al endowments while promoting tax breaks for developers on
Mars. There are times when "American civilization" should be
defended against its renewers, and this is one of them.
To put matters in perspective, one must first remember the
comparative triviality of the sums involved-the shallowness of
modern America's official commitments to culture.
The U.S. government currently spends less than five-hun-
dredths of 1% of its national budget on all forms of cultural sub-
sidy-the equivalent of maybe five cups of diner coffee per citi-
zen per year. In fiscal 1995 the NEH got $172 million, the NEA got
$162.4 million, and the CPB got $285.6 million. Still, these mod-
est sums exert large leverage on private and corporate patron-
age through "matching grants" (to qualify, the recipient must
raise as much as $3 from the private sources for every federal
dollar) and by the vitally important role played by the NEA and
the NEH as Good Housekeeping seals of approval on projects.
Ken Burns' Civil War
Besides, culture is business. Serious business. The splendid
offerings of New York City, from the Metropolitan Museum of
Art to the New York City Ballet, generate more than $2 billion
a year in tourist revenue. Not-for-profit arts, local and nation-
al, support 1.3 million jobs, yield $37 billion a year in econom-
ic activity and return $3.4 billion a year to the federal treasury
through tax-some 20 times the budget of the NEA. It is ludi-
Mark Twain:
crous to pretend that the NEA is a drain on the American purse.
a rich trove
Over the past quarter-century, NEA seed money has been
of archives
a boon and a blessing to America's myriad cultural outlets. It
is easy to think of scores, and possible to find hundreds, of mu-
seum exhibitions, dance and drama projects, concerts and arts-
Right-wing critics sneer that the NEH is a pork
education programs of real cultural value that would not have
had private underwriting without the spur of public money.
Corporations need reassurance and are reluctant to disgorge
without it.
Some Republicans argue that since corporate and founda-
tion support for the arts outweighs federal support-$16 to $1-
the NEA and NEH would not be missed. This is an illusion. Some
American businesses, like Philip Morris, have been very gener-
ous in their support of the arts. But this generosity depends on
their public relations needs. (If there were no lung cancer or em-
physema, the arts would get much less.) Increasingly, these
needs are defined as social rather than artistic. Hence the shift,
in private philanthropy, to race- and gender-based programs,
meant to make art what theatrical director Robert Brustein calls
"a conduit for social justice" rather than art as art. As the
budget should be set aside for culture. This will cost each tax-
newsletter Corporate Philanthropy Report recently noted, "We
payer about $50 a year and is wholly uncontroversial. Nobody
no longer 'support' the arts. We use the arts in innovative ways
complains in Germany either, though federal cultural subsidies
to support the social causes chosen by our company.
cost each taxpayer $38 and city ones even more: Berlin, for in-
That's exactly what Republican critics accuse the NEA and
stance, will spend 1.1 billion marks ($800 million) in fiscal 1995,
the NEH of doing. Moreover, if the flat-tax enthusiasts in the
2.6% of its total municipal budget, on art and culture-$225 for
G.O.P. have their way, private and corporate arts subsidies-
each of its 3.5 million residents. Berliners like this. They are
especially gifts to museums-will vanish as
proud of it.
tax-deduction inducements evaporate. This
COMPARING COMMITMENTS
Many people do feel they have a right to
will destroy the mechanism that made Amer-
Public expenditure on the arts and
expect their government to spend some of
ican museum collections great. There is no
museums, in dollars per person
their tax money in preserving and amplifying
sign that anyone in Congress has thought this
their culture and their history, even if this ef-
Sweden
through. And why? Because frankly, my dear,
$45.6
fort works with less than 75% efficiency-
we don't give a damn.
Germany
$39.4
which would still be better than the rate of the
America's federal stinginess with the arts
France
$35.1
Pentagon's extravaganza. Some would argue
and humanities does it immense discredit.
Netherlands
$33.6
that this is one of the criteria of political en-
By contrast, every candidate in the last
Canada
$28.5
lightenment. Why not in America?
French election, from the socialist Lionel
Britain
$16.1
Why not, indeed? Because in America, the
Jospin to the conservative victor Jacques
U.S.
arts have always had to prove how moral they
$3.3
Chirac, agreed that fully 1% of France's state
Source
are. Ever since the Puritans got to Massachu-
64
TIME, AUGUST 7, 1995
NATIONAL
liberty to study mathematics and phi-
losophy. My sons ought to study
ENDOWMENT
navigation, commerce and agricul-
FOR THE
ture, in order to give their children a
right to study painting, poetry, music,
HUMANITIES
architecture
Their son John Quin-
Until the conservative
cy Adams amplified that in his First
line changed, the NEH
Message to Congress. For government
was seen as a beacon of
to refrain, he wrote, from "promoting
history, scholarship and
the improvement of agriculture, com-
Rare books at Yale's Beinecke Library
education. Now even
merce, manufacture, the cultivation
former chairmen William
and encouragement of the mechani-
Bennett and Lynne
Cheney have turned on it
cal and of the elegant arts, the ad-
vancement of literature
would be
BATTLE CRV
treachery to the most sacred of trusts."
MIDWIFE'S
THECIVILWARE
Intelligent appreciation of the arts and the humanities was
MOTORS. FOR TIME
TALE
part of the democratic promise. Learning, no less surely than
the Kentucky rifle, supported freedom. The case for federal
interest in fostering it was plainly put by James Madison 200
years ago. Americans, he said, owed it to themselves "and to
the cause of free government, to prove by their establishments
that their political institutions are as favorable to the intel-
lectual and moral improvement of Man as they are con-
formable to his individual and social rights."
Lauret Thatcher Unich
Other Americans, whether ordinary, shortsighted material-
Pulitzer
ists or mere yahoos, have often opposed this noble idea. Hence
prizewinners
tax-financed culture has always seemed a "soft spot" in gov-
ernment budgets.
barrel for lefty p.c. historians, but they are wrong
In 1814, after the British burned the Congressional Library
and Jefferson offered to sell Congress his own books as a re-
placement, angry voices in Congress denounced the idea: it
was immoral to spend federal money on "philosophical non-
sense" collected by a notorious freethinker, on volumes that
were "worthless, in languages which many cannot read, and
most ought not." Wisely, Congress voted over its seated bigots
and populist lowbrows, as it should today. It bought the books,
for $23,950. This, as historian David McCullough pointed out
to the House Appropriations Subcommittee last February,
"may be seen as the beginning of federal involvement in the arts
and humanities, to the everlasting benefit of the country."
When the American history painter John Trumbull was
paid $32,000 for the four scenes of the American Revolution,
setts in the 17th century, American culture has had an icono-
including the Declaration of Independence (1818), that adorn
phobic streak: prelates and politicians felt that though God
the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington, a loud outcry arose
(like them) spoke through the Word, the visual and performing
against their cost. But does anyone alive today think it was
arts were in some sense the devil's work, best left alone by a
wrong to spend public money on jump-starting the Library of
virtuous polity. This has combined with America's extreme
Congress with Jefferson's 6,500 books or creating America's
loathing of tax-for American independence began with a tax
first monumental paintings of its own history? Was Franklin
revolt, when the tea chests were tossed into Boston Harbor in
Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration, which gave jobs to
1773. Put them together, and you get to hear House majority
numerous good American artists in the Depression years, a bad
leader Dick Armey proclaiming, without a shred of evidence,
idea? American government has supported the American arts-
that federal arts subsidy "offends the Constitution of the
spottily, inconsistently, but always with some general sense of
U.S."-without, of course, suggesting which clause or amend-
obligation to a larger sense of polity-almost from its beginning.
ment it offends.
The claim that the NEA and the NEH, founded in 1965, had no
There is no such clause, because America's Founding Fa-
historical precedents in America is simply a lie.
thers had no doubt about the necessity of the arts in a democ-
Who begrudges the $1 million a year in federal funds for the
racy. They were radicals and revolutionists who believed that
upkeep of the Lincoln Memorial, with its huge, Zeus-like figure
the arts should be available to the many, not the privileged few
of the dead President by Daniel Chester French? Yet from there
(as in 18th century Europe, where they were left to the élite
to Maya Lin's Vietnam Memorial-a focus of intense collective
"private sector," to whose corporate equivalents the G.O.P.
feeling and reverence today, but bitterly denounced by many a
wants to return them today). "I must study politics and war,"
flag-wagging conservative as "a black gash of shame"-there has
wrote John Adams to his wife Abigail, "that my sons may have
scarcely been a significant American public sculpture com-
TIME, AUGUST 7, 1995
65
memorating things Americans care about that hasn't excited
fierce opposition, usually in the name of patriotism and values.
Trying to find common public images in the midst of the
pandemic discord of American democracy has never been an
easy task. Sometimes, as now, it has seemed all but hopeless.
One recalls the morose words of John Trumbull in 1793,
lamenting how "the whole American people" had become "vi-
olent partisans
the whole country seemed to be changed into
one
vast
arena
on which the two parties, forgetting their na-
Gay life on Tales of the City
tional character, were wasting their time, their thoughts, their
energy In such a state of things, what hope remained for the
arts? None."
This atmosphere passed, but 200 years later a similar de-
mentia prevails. Its obsessive objects this time are not the Ter-
ror in France and the war between France and England, as
they were in 1793. They are moral-or, to be more exact, they
are about the rhetoric of morality.
Our present "culture wars" do not exist in liberal democra-
cies on the other sides of the Atlantic or the Pacific. The intol-
erance of these clashes is aggravated by the deep anguish that
descended on America after it won the cold war and found it-
self no better off. The Manichaean universe, divided between
A Frontline documentary
right (us) and wrong (Soviets), dissolved. The apocalyptic sce-
nario, so frightening and yet so consoling, fizzled. But the
mind-set it fostered remains, particularly since America is the
only country in the Western world with a strong, and vengeful,
current of Fundamentalist apocalyptic religion. With the death
of communism, new Antichrists and minor devils have to be
found inside America. The two p.c.s-patriotic correctness and
There are times when Amer
civilization"
needs
to
political correctness-have mutually fostered this search, cre-
ating an atmosphere of inflamed accusation; scholarship and
The children's classic
the arts then become scapegoats, grotesquely politicized cul-
Sesame Street
ture-war stereotypes.
Thus Congress-and the nation-is now full of indignant
wannabe reformers who know next to nothing about American
rano-have brought it to the verge of abolition. Significantly,
culture but want to get tough on it. They have no idea that there
neither case involved a direct grant by the NEA to the artist. Ser-
is a vast, complex and valuable tract of images between Norman
rano got his $15,000 of public money as an award from the
Rockwell's Thanksgiving turkey and Andres Serrano's photo of
Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, which the NEA had
a crucifix in urine. Years of adroit propaganda by the religious
given a grant to distribute as it thought fit. All the same, it is ob-
right have convinced many of them that a vote for preserving
vious from this debacle that the NEA should not have set itself
the NEA in any form is a vote for sodomy, blasphemy and child
up as the Lady Bountiful of the so-called cutting edge, as it did
abuse. This has become a matter of indurated faith, resistant to
in the '80s. Government is almost by definition a poor patron of
any insert of mere fact.
the avant-garde. Artists who call themselves sociopolitical sub-
For these zealots, modern American art is summed up in the
versives, and then ask for state handouts, are either fools or
image of Robert Mapplethorpe, that slick and vastly overrated
hypocrites. But at the same time, it is, and plausibly should be,
photographer, conservative in every sense except the sexual,
a legitimate function of government patronage to encourage
who is now seen as a hybrid of welfare queen and Caligula, liv-
promising forms of artistic expression-that are not-familiar
ing off the NEA on your tax dollar and mine while sticking bull-
enough to find their way in the marketplace. This is a thin rope
whips up his bum. In fact, Mapplethorpe neither got nor asked
to walk: the NEA fell off it and broke a leg. But you don't kill the
for one cent from the NEA to make the photos
endowment over that, any more than you
that caused the offense; a museum did that, for
THE LONG SLIDE
abolish the U.S. Navy because of Tailhook.
a show of his work. And he died a multimil-
5200
The key is reform, without which the NEA
lionaire because of the ranting queer hatred of
probably won't survive at all. Its critics charge
Jesse Helms, Pat Buchanan and the religious
$150
it with spending too much on grants to indi-
right-not to mention the tribal loyalty of art-
NEA
vidual artists, but this is untrue-in fact, such
world homosexuals, many of whom would
funding
$100
grants account for only 4% of its budget. It's
have you think that any criticism of his work
more important for the NEA to get rid of all its
amounts to homophobia.
$50
bogus democratic criteria, the therapeutic
Of the tens of thousands of grants that the
Funding in constant
fustian of "self-esteem" and "empowerment"
NEA has made in its 30-year history, perhaps a
1966 dollars
through art for this locality or that minority.
dozen have excited serious controversy and
75
Leave that to state arts councils (if they still
only two-to the Mapplethorpe show and Ser-
want it, which they shouldn't either); in art
66
TIME, AUGUST 7, 1995
CORPORATION
Since it was founded in 1965, the
NEH has awarded $2.9 billion in
FOR PUBLIC
some 51,000 fellowships and grants,
BROADCASTING
and its Challenge Grants program,
in place since 1977, has generated
Conservatives lament the
more than $1.3 billion in nonfederal
depravity of network and
aid for American libraries, museums,
much cable TV, especially
for children-and then
universities and colleges. Its net of
want to cut off federal
activities reaches very wide. It funds
EVERETT
funding for PBS, the only
the study and publication of essential
regular source of decent
archives, like the papers of George
programs for kids
Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
Frederick Douglass, Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain and Dwight
Eisenhower. (Twenty-eight volumes of Washington's papers
alone have appeared so far.) It has given more than
$1 million to a projected 21-volume documentary history of
the ratification of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It
sponsored Ken Burns' TV series on the Civil War, as well as
the definitive edition of the Thomas Alva Edison papers and
the first complete printed version of the journals kept by Lewis
and Clark on their epic trek across the West. It funds local his-
tory centers, educational programs at all levels and the unend-
ing task of preserving millions of old documents and brittle
newspapers, both physically and on microfilm. And much
more, including the great Library of America series of Ameri-
can literary classics, co-sponsored by the NEH and the Ford
Foundation.
In 1991 a study by the American Council of Learned Soci-
eties found that the NEH provided 64% of the research funding
be defended from its renewers, and this is one of them
available to American scholars in the humanities (the runner-
up was the Guggenheim Foundation, at 18%). Right-wing crit-
ics sneer that this is a pork barrel for obscurantist, lefty p.c.
historians, but they are wrong. Books published with NEH sup-
port include such recent achievements in history and biogra-
there should be no such entitlements. The NEA should be more
phy as James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil
élitist-rigorously so, in fact-and should hand out more mon-
War Era (Pulitzer Prize, 1988); Laurel Ulrich's A Midwife's
ey to fewer projects. It should wholeheartedly embrace the
Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812
dreaded Q word: quality.
(Pulitzer Prize, 1990); John Demos' The Unredeemed Captive:
To do that effectively, however, it needs to have its budget
A Family Story from Early America (nominated for a National
increased, not cut. Give it one-quarter the cost of a B-2 each
Book Award, 1994); Eric Foner's classic study, Reconstruction:
year-$550 million. Let it then compile a target list of the 500
America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877; Richard Slotkin's
or so performing-arts institutions, along with the instruments
brilliant explorations of the myth of the American frontier, and
of historic preservation (museums, heritage and restoration
scores of others.
groups, and so on) that matter most in American culture, across
Until the G.O.P. frenzy turned on it recently, the NEH was
the whole social and geographical spectrum, and see what they
rightly seen as an exemplary agency. Thus the conservative
(minimally) need.
columnist George Will, writing about the NEH-sponsored Jef-
America leads the world in dance, for instance, and yet an
ferson Lecture given by Gertrude Himmelfarb in 1991, en-
innovative genius like choreographer Twyla Tharp lacks the
dorsed the NEH as "the best part of the government." But then
money to maintain a permanent company. This is a national
the party line changed. By last January, Will was baying for the
embarrassment. Such people shouldn't have to go begging in
agency's total abolition-"If Republicans merely trim rather
corporate boardrooms. But in America, artists are always on
than terminate [NEA, NEH and CPB], they will prove that the
probation
Republican 'revolution' is not even serious reform."
Yet the chance of getting enough money for the NEA to be-
Also in January, two former chairmen of the NEH appeared
come truly effective is now very slim; and the punitive funding
before a House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee hear-
cuts it has suffered have weakened it so far that in the end, it
ing, testifying that their old agency had become an incubator of
may not be worth keeping alive. Meanwhile, the NEH seems
decadence and should be abolished. William Bennett, chairman
to have become confused with the NEA in the public mind-as
from 1981 to 1985, opined that since American culture had not
though the National Endowment for the Humanities had suf-
improved since 1965, and since it had been "Marxized, femi-
fered the same tsuris as the National Endowment for the Arts.
nized, deconstructed and politicized" partly on NEH dollars,
In fact, its record has been excellent. Losing the NEA would be
one could "make a plausible case that the endowments have had
a disgrace; but the loss of the NEH as well would be a cultural
a deleterious effect on our culture."
tragedy for all Americans.
Plausible? Only if you believed that post hoc was propter
TIME, AUGUST 7, 1995
67
hoc. At the hearing and afterward in the op-ed pages of the
plagued it. Their approach is bracing and invites continuous
New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, Lynne Cheney,
argument and engagement. One of their virtues is that they
Bennett's successor as NEH chairman, went into a perfect rap-
include the study of cultures and states outside Europe and
ture of denunciation, like some goodwife of Salem divining a
North America, including Africa, China, South America and
devil's teat in every rival's wart. The NEH, it seemed, once had
Japan; and that they ask students to think seriously about civ-
its uses, but they stopped when she left. Now it was a pit of
il rights, union history and other issues of race, gender and
deconstruction and misery, rad-feminism and woe, a p.c. hell
class in America-issues without which America's past and
where tenured profs did nothing but denounce Shakespeare,
present cannot possibly be understood.
Dante, Yeats and Matthew Arnold as "icons of the decadent
The standards certainly have their flaws of emphasis: no
civilization of the West." KILL MY OLD AGENCY, PLEASE, one of
mention of Aztec human sacrifice to balance the brutalities
her headlines begged.
of Cortés, for instance; a downplaying of Japanese barbarities
All this infection must have happened very quickly, within
in World War II; a perceptible bias in the treatment of the cold
two years in fact-almost Ebola-speed. For Cheney's animus
war; and maybe 20 other lapses out of some 2,600 topics. Too
against the NEH contradicted everything she said and wrote
much pluribus, not enough unum, in historian Kenneth Jack-
about it, both when she was run-
son's words. Still, nothing that
ning the agency and immediate-
couldn't be fixed with further
ly after she quit as chairman at
discussion and editorial good-
the end of 1992. In a parting
will, as a number of historians
memo to the NEH staff on that
and educators, including prin-
occasion, Cheney overflowed
cipled conservatives like Diane
with praise for the endowment
Ravitch, have pointed out.
for "funding the best of tradi-
But Cheney and her sup-
tional scholarship on time-hon-
porters took the blemishes as a
ored subjects as well as the best
pretext to denounce the stan-
of newer approaches on newer
dards as hopelessly p.c., anti-
topics." She lauded the staff:
Western, anti-American, anti-
"No federal agency to my mind
white, pessimistic and skewed,
has so many capable profession-
and called not only for their
als, so thoroughly dedicated to
cancelation but for the abolition
the idea of excellence." She
of the NEH as well.
praised its grant procedures
"The standards deserve full
without reserve. And so on, for
and critical discussion as a par-
4½ single-spaced pages.
tial prescription for our educa-
In the 2½ years since Cheney
tional ills," wrote Douglas
wrote this summing-up, there
Greenberg, president of the
The arts were part of the democratic promise
have been-according to the
Chicago Historical Society, last
NEH'S present chairman, Shel-
January. "They do not deserve
don Hackney-no significant
to be caricatured for narrowly
changes in the NEH'S policies,
Lincoln
partisan reasons." But they
Memorial
criteria or grant system, and
were, unrecognizably, and the
most of its senior staff remains
caricaturists seemed not to care
in place. What has changed, though, are Cheney's ambitions
that the eventual losers would be American schoolchildren.
for fame and influence. She is building her credibility for a
"The question is," said NEH chairman Hackney in a
post in a future Republican Administration. And if revision-
speech in San Francisco last April, "who are the real élitists?
ism, hypocrisy and opportunism help, so be it.
Isn't it insultingly élitist to assume that ordinary Americans
Thus the foofaraw and froth blowing over the NEH-spon-
are not interested in the humanities? Isn't it the ultimate ar-
sored American History Standards, of whose content, Cheney
rogance to believe that 'culture' should be the private prop-
claims, she was quite unaware when she was running the
erty of those who can pay for it? The NEH is, in fact, our best
agency. These history standards are a special focus of conser-
guarantee that our cultural heritage will be available to all
vative ire and are greatly misrepresented by Cheney and her
Americans, regardless of how much money they make or
allies. Co-sponsored by the NEH in 1992, they were written by
where they live."
a team of teachers and professors whom Cheney impaneled
The conservatives'agenda, if it goes through, is going to
under the directorship of UCLA historian Gary Nash. Their
depress the quality of cultural and educational life for every-
aim was to provide a curriculum guide to American and world
one in America, young and old, white, black, brown, male or
history for teachers of U.S. elementary and secondary stu-
female. This is one of the most ill-conceived, profoundly anti-
dents in grades K through 12. They are not a textbook. They
democratic ideas ever to get loose in Congress. Private phil-
lay out themes, areas of historical inquiry, ways for students
anthropy will never be able to restore what seems about to be
to engage a subject. Their use is voluntary: they are a blue-
taken away. Some will not notice it; others won't care; given
print, not a rigid template, and they are not mandated by the
the shortness of American social memory, perhaps the next
Federal Government.
generation won't know what happened. Partial lobotomies
Properly used, they will lift school history teaching far
work that way. They favor Beavis and Butt-head. Is that the
above the names-and-dates mediocrity that has always
business of American government?
68
TIME, AUGUST 7, 1995
FROM NEA/PUBLIC AFFAIRS
(FRI) 11. 08' 96 09:54/ST. 09:53/NO. 3560970005 P 2
A10
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1996
LOS ANGELES TIMES EDITORIALS
No Place for Art Lessons
Congress should accept court ruling and drop the NEA issue
A federal circuit court delivered a significant
in the awarding of grants. This week's ruling
ruling on arts funding this week by agreeing
could restrict the NEA in exercising such dis-
that the National Endowment for the Arts need
cretion. a practice that successfully mollified
not consider the public's sense of decency in
conservative legislators last year after they
doling out grants to artists.
made a second attempt to abolish the agency.
The NEA may seem a backwater of American
Even so, the new ruling was the only reason-
politics. but it has been a highly turbulent topic
able course. For in addition to harming the cre-
for legislators trying to promote so-called
ative process by forcing artists to worry that
American values. In 1990, a powerful group in
their work might be considered too controver-
Congress demanded the agency's abolition
sial, the 1990 law contradicted itself. On the one
after having been offended by some of the
hand, it required the NEA to respect "general
projects it had funded. The NEA was spared
standards of decency." On the other, it
this fate when the critics accepted as an alter-
demanded "respect for the diverse beliefs and
native a decency law passed by Congress later
values of the American public."
that year. Although the law was ruled invalid
Because diversity often means departing
by a district court in 1992. the Clinton admin-
from "general standards." the statute, in short,
istration's NEA director, actress Jane Alex-
demanded the impossible. The new Congress
ander, kept the controversy under control by
should take the ruling to heart and focus its
honoring its spirit. She promised to exercise
attention on pressing national needs, not on
"better discretion" and to "prohibit obscenity"
setting standards for art.
ATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR
THE
ARTS
September 20, 1995
John A. Rogovin
Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Federal Programs Branch
Civil Division
The Federal agency
U.S. Department of Justice
that supports the
visual, literary and
Washington, D.C. 20530
performing arts to
benefit all Americans
Dear Mr. Rogovin:
I am writing to express my vehement opposition to the
Office of the
Draft Supplemental Brief prepared by the Department on
Chairman
behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts. I
believe that the draft goes far beyond the question
posed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concerning
the applicability of Rosenberger, and in doing so, is a
Arts in Education
massive retreat from the carefully formulated position
articulated in the Reply Brief, filed in this case in
Challenge &
1993.
Advancement
Dance
I find it particularly offensive that the Draft Brief
sets forth a defense of potential content restrictions
Design
at the Arts Endowment and argues that while Rust may be
Expansion Arts
inapplicable, such restrictions would be justified
under other Court decisions. I am frankly at a
Folk & Traditional
complete loss to understand why the Department finds it
Arts
necessary at this point in time to stretch to justify
International
these types of restrictions. It would appear that
Justice is bent on facilitating efforts by those who
Literature
would make my agency into a national arts censor,
Local Arts Agencies
rather than a government entity that supports creative
expression and the arts.
Media Arts
Museum
While I understand that, as a matter of policy, the
Department believes that its role is to support the
Music
constitutionality of congressional actions, the
position articulated in the Draft Brief basically
Opera/Musical
invites further content restrictions in our authorizing
Theater
and appropriating legislation. As you may know, our
Presenting
appropriations legislation for FY 1996 now contains two
new content restrictions on indecency and denigration
State & Regional
of religious beliefs. The Draft Brief virtually
Theater
commits the Endowment to accepting these vague and
broad provisions, added on the Senate floor with no
Visual Arts
debate whatsoever, as "reasonable" and "valid
viewpoint-neutral restrictions of content that
establish the limits of eligibility for NEA grants. I
cannot accept that result.
As I understand Rosenberger, the case does make
distinctions that render Rust inapplicable to the
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pensylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20506
202/682-5400
funding programs at the Arts Endowment. To the extent
that the district court opinion in Finley placed
mistaken reliance on Rust in justifying its conclusions
on the constitutionality of the decency provision, I
would have no objection to an argument that explains
this distinction.
I have instructed my General Counsel to work with you
on a modified Draft Brief that incorporates the
following three positions. First, the brief should
continue to assert the arguments advanced in the June,
1993 Reply Brief, based on the plaintiff's facial
challenge to the provision and this Agency's
interpretation and implementation of the decency and
diversity of public belief provision. Second, the
supplemental brief should restate our fundamental
position "that the arts enjoy First Amendment
protection. " (Reply Brief at 22). Third, while the
brief can address the distinctions between Rust and
Rosenberger, there should be no argument that there is
constitutional law support for content restrictions
based on potential "offensiveness" or "controversy.'
Perhaps you are not aware that the filing deadline for
the Supplemental Brief coincides with the date of the
30th anniversary of the Presidential signing of the law
creating the Arts Endowment. On this momentous day, I
believe, as an artist and as the head of this agency,
we should have cause to celebrate the arts and creative
expression. I hope that you agree.
Sincerely,
Jane Jackevan Alexander
Chairman
FROM NEA/PUBLIC AFFAIRS
(WED) 10. 08' 97 14:51/ST. 14:19/NO. 3560970816 P 2/9
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
Office of Communications
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
NEWS RELEASE
Washington DC 20506-0001
202/682-5570
202/682-5611 FAX
http://arts.endow.gov
For Immediate Release
Contact: Cherie Simon
October 8, 1997
202-682-5570
JANE ALEXANDER,
CHAIRMAN OF THE ARTS ENDOWMENT,
TO STEP DOWN AFTER COMPLETION OF FOUR-YEAR TERM
Washington, D.C. Jane Alexander will complete her four-year term as Chairman of the
National Endowment for the Arts in October and return to private life. The sixth chairman in the
agency's 32-year history, she was appointed by President William Clinton and sworn into office
by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on October 8, 1993.
"My time at the National Endowment for the Arts has been both immensely challenging and
deeply rewarding. It was a great privilege to be front and center to the kaleidoscope of the arts in
America," Chairman Alexander said. "If I am left with one overwhelming impression from my
time at the NEA, it is the increasingly strong and spirited connection that has developed between
the American people and the arts in their own communities. As our nation moves into the next
millennium, I believe that the Endowment's role as a national voice for the arts will become even
more vital."
President William Clinton said, Jane Alexander has led the National Endowment for the Arts
wich courage, vigor, and imagination for four years. Hillary and I are grateful to her. She has
served her country with the same standard of excellence she gives to her artistry."
Until the President nominates, and the Senate confirms a new chairman, Scorr Shanklin-Peterson
will be in charge of day-to-day operations at the Endowment. Ms. Shanklin-Pecerson has been
serving as the agency's Deputy Chairman for Grants and Partnership and was formerly Executive
Director of the South Carolina Arts Commission. She worked closely with Chairman Alexander
on the reorganization of the Arts Endowment following Congressional budget cuts in 1996.
Setting Priorities for Her Chairmanship
Soon after raking office, Alexander launched two unprecedented initiatives to assess not only the
health of nonprofit arts organizations and arrists around the country, but also community
involvement in the ares and public perception of the Arts Endowment's role.
- more -
FROM NEA/PUBLIC AFFAIRS
(WED) 10. 08' 97 14:51/ST. 14:19/NO. 3560970816 P 3/9
Jane Alexander
2
First, at her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing in September of 1993, Chairman Alexander
promised to visit each of the 50 states to meet with citizens, artists, arts administrators, governors,
mayors, state legislators, educators, and business and civic leaders. Her sire visits to arts
organizations, institutions and schools, as well as dozens of town meetings, gave her a first-hand
look at the longstanding, complex connection between the arts and our nation's communities.
From Portland, Maine, to Pordand, Oregon, each of the 200 towns and cities she visired revealed
how the arts help build their communities by contriburing to the social, spiritual, intellectual and
economic lives of their citizens -- all resulting in a more vital and rich quality of life.
In her second major initiative, Chairman Alexander convened the first national arts conference
organized by the federal government, ART 21: Art Reaches Into the 21st Century. In April of
1994, more than 1,000 artists, arts administrators, and government leaders joined rogether at
ART-21 to examine issues that Alexander identified as critical to the future health of the
nonprofit arts in America: the role of the artist in society, lifelong learning in the arts, the ares and
new technologies, public/private partnerships, and our nation's cultural legacy.
At the three-day gathering. the importance of creating connections became clear - among arrists,
arts organizations, federal agencies, private funders, and communities, through partnerships and
collaborations - in order to sustain and nurture the arts in America and help integrate them more
fully into our communities.
Reinventing the National Endowment for the Arts
With the information gathered through her site visits, the national conference, and an open dialogue
with arts organizations, NEA staff, and Congress, Chairman Alexander began the process of
reinventing the agency. Among the most significant changes are:
Reorganization of the agency structure and grantmaking process
Development of new partnerships
Creation of Leadership Initiatives and
Millennium Projects
Increased investment in arts education
Commitment to new technologies
Expanded research on trends in audience participation and artists in the work force
Launching the American Canvas initiative
Reorganization
Jane Alexander's Chairmanship has spanned four of the most challenging years for the nonprofit arts
in America. Under her guidance, the National Endowment for the Arts has sought ways to
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provide further access to the arts, serve the needs of its many diverse constituents, and act as a
national voice for the ares in America during a time of fiscal downsizing. In 1995, a
Congressionally-mandared 39 percent budget cut necessitated a 45% reduction in Arts
Endowment staff and a total restructuring of the agency.
In order to best support the nonprofic asts with fewer resources, the new structure emphasized
partnerships and cross-disciplinary initiatives. While continuing to recognize excellence at both
large and small institutions, the new plan was designed ro encourage all arts organizations to work
more closely together and to share information and resources creatively. Expertise in the arts
disciplines was maintained within the agency and throughout the review process in four broad
categories:
Herirage & Preservation
Education & Access
Planning & Stabilization
Creation & Presentation
This change to four caregories for Grants to Organizations replaced the agency's former 17 genre-
based programs, yet at the same time, the new structure enabled the Endowment to continue to
serve all of the arts. Consortium-building and collaboration were encouraged, and applicants were
limited to one proposal each year. The agency published A New Look: Guide to the National
Endowment for the Ans to explain the restructuring and new application process.
General operating support and seasonal support were abolished by Congress. as arts organizations
now had [O apply for grants for specific projects. Congress also eliminated all individual arrist
grants except in literature and for the honorific Heritage Fellowships and Jazz Masters Awards.
Chairman Alexander also put into place a number of changes to improve accountability in the
NEA grantmaking and monitoring process. For example, interim reports now must be filed by
grantees describing ongoing projects before the full grant amount is released, and the practice of
subgrancing to third party organizations was abolished.
New Partnerships
Chairman Alexander has made a special effort to reach out to other Federal agencies and other
entities to include the arts in their respective missions. The Ans Endowment currently sustains 25
partnerships with other Federal agencies. Some partnerships included those with:
The Department of Justice to support conflict resolution education and training in arcs-
based programs for at-risk youth.
The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention to publish Arr Works, a compendium of
model programs using the arts to combat substance abuse.
The Corporation for National and Community Service to place writers-in-residence at
community-based organizations in three cities through the WritersCorps Program.
The Department of Health and Human Services to creare a database on quality arts
programs involving older adults.
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for
the Humanicies (NEH) to hold leadership forums in support of cultural courism.
The National Science Foundation, IMLS, and NEH to conduct a 5-year comprehensive
research project on learning in museums
The Department of Agriculture encouraging State Arts Agencies to participate in state
rural development councils.
Under her direction, the agency's parmership with the state arts agencies has been revised to
include, for the first time, individual direct planning wich all 50 states and six special
jurisdictions B improve access to the arts.
Leadership Initiatives and Millennium Projects
To further her goal of finding new resources for the arts and new approaches to solving field-wide
problems, Chairman Alexander launched a new program of agency Leadership Iniciatives. These
projects constiture roughly 10 percent of the Endowment's grantmaking and are designed to have a
national impact on the ares. Among the current leadership initiatives are;
The Mayors' Institute on City Design, a program which brings mayors together with
designers and urban planners to discuss the integration of design principles in cities large
and small.
An Archives Project with the National Museum of American An to document the work of
the thousands of artists supported through NEA Visual Arts Fellowships.
Jazz Baskerball which partners the National Baskerball Association with music educators
to provide training and performance opportunities for high school jazz musicians.
Additionally, early in her Chairmanship, Jane Alexander envisioned connecting Americans and
artists through a celebration of the Millennium to showcase our nation's artistic creative spirit and
achievements in rhis century. and to preserve our cultural legacy into the next century. The Arts
Endowment has already funded a wide range of Millennium Projects. Millions of Americans in
all 50 states will be able to participate in and enjoy celebrations of our uniquely American
cultural heritage chrough these projects, which include:
Television programs on the history of theater, dance, the visual arts, and movies.
A major photographic survey to document the United States at the rum of the century.
The American Dance Festival project to commission new works by the best American
choreographers and jazz musicians to rour nationally and internationally.
A National Public Radio initiative, which will air in 1999, fearuring programs about
musical works and styles that have influenced the course of American cultural history,
newly commissioned radio dramas, and new radio pieces by American artists envisioning
the future.
Writing America, an anthology of literary works from all 50 states by former recipients of
Endowment Creative Writing Fellowships.
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Arts Education
Through her own policies and by building partnerships with others, Chairman Alexander has made
the agency a national leader in increasing support for ares education in schools and communities
across America
During her first year-and-a-half in office, she visited schools across America, sharing in arts
education activities with students, parents, teachers, artists-in-residence, principals, and school
superintendents, serving as an advocate for the essential role of arts education in the lives of all
children.
In partnership with the Department of Education under Secretary Richard Riley, Chairman
Alexander has provided leadership to secure funding to include the arts in the National
Assessment of Education Progress, better known as NAEP or "The Nation's Report Card." The
arts were included in NAEP this spring for the first time in more than 20 years. Alexander has
convened more than 140 national-level leaders from the arcs, education, and private business
sectors to develop an action plan to include the arts in the implementation of the Goals 2000
Educate America Act. This effort included the Arts Endowment providing leadership in raising
more than $1 million in private funds to support actions at the state and local levels in more than
35 states aimed at including the arts in Goals 2000.
The agency also established The Goals 2000 Arts Education Partnership to sustain the
implementation of this action plan. The Arts Endowment and the U.S. Department of Education
are jointly committed to supporting this unprecedented coalition on behalf of arts education
through the year 2000.
When the agency was restructured in 1995,
one of the four grant-making divisions created was
Education & Access, which has a special focus on making grants to increase access to arts
education for children in pre-kindergarren through grade 12.
Under Chairman Alexander's guidance, the agency has produced a number of publications on arts
education, including.
Lifelong Journey, which contains the NEA's principles and characteristics for excellence in
arts education programs;
Schools, Communities and the Arts:
A Research Compendium, a compilation of research
studies that demonstrate the efficacy of arts education;
Arts Education in America's Schools, a major national survey on the condition of arts
education in our nation's public schools;
Imagine, a resource and information guide to help parents provide arts education to their
children.
The Arts Endowment also has partnered with the Department of Justice under Attorney General
Janet Reno to provide at-risk and troubled youth with the opportunity to transform their lives
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through the arts. For example, Padrways to Success, which includes after-school and weekend
programs, encourages young people to explore B. wide range of career and life options through the
arts, recreation, job skills craining, and business entrepreneurial classes.
New Technology
Through Jane Alexander's leadership, the Arrs Endowment has joined the information technology
revolution. As the national voice for the 21TS in America, the Arts Endowment is taking the lead in
using the Internet TO share cultural resources and information wich other sectors of our society.
In April of 1996, the Arts Endowment established its own website at http://arts,endow.gov which
includes a monthly magazine, arts.community, a guide to the Endowment, including online grant
guidelines and applications that can be downloaded, printed, completed and mailed by
organizations seeking grants; and an arts resource center, including a caralog of Arrs Endowment
publications that can be ordered. as well as on-line publications. The website has sustained more
than 4 million "hirs" so far and has won accolades, including [wice being named a "Horsite" by
USA Today and being named a Yahoo magazine "Site of the Month."
In irs next logical step to expand access to the arts by way of the Internet, the Arts Endowment has
collaborated wich the Benton Foundation in creating Open Srudio: The Arrs Online. Open
Studio helps increase free community access [C Internet, and helps develop high-quality cultural
information and resources online. Through Open Studio, 48 free Internet access sites and 10
mentoring sites, which provide arrists and arts organizations with training and resources to become
online information providers, have been established at cultural organizations - such as libraries,
community centers and local art centers across the nation.
The National Endowment for the Arts also is working with other federal agencies through the
U.S. NonProfit Gateway project to make IT easier for nonprofits to access online federal
information and services. This website is a one-stop shop for locating Federal government
information and resources of value to nonprofit organizations.
Research Into Trends in Arts Participation
Under Chairman Alexander's leadership, a total of 12 Research Notes and Research Reports were
published and discributed nationally and internationally TO policymakers, practitioners, educators,
and researchers as well as the general public. Perhaps one of the most significant was an analysis of
national arts participation statistics (collected through the Endowment's National Survey of
Public Participation in the Arts) that yielded cautionary forecasts for future arts audiences given
the lower participation rates of baby boomers compared to preceding generations. These
revelations galvanized arrs organizations across rhe country to reevaluate and overhaul their
audience development strategies.
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Other titles focused on the conditions and needs of individual artists, including:
Dancemakers. Focused attention on the low earnings of choreographers despire the high
COSIS associated with producing their work. The project involved surveys of
choreographers in four metropolitan areas (New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and
Chicago).
Trends in Artist Occupations: 1970 1990 and Artists in the Work Force. Quantified the
rapid growth of artist employment over the two decades, yer continued low earnings of
artists relative to other professional occupations and education levels. Many arcists do not
find full-time work in their fields and work second jobs in order to supplement their
income.
Eight of the research reports focused on the analysis of the National Surveys of Public
Participation in the Arts. Two summary reports (Arrs Participation in America: 1982-1992 and
A Practical Guide to Arts Participation) provided highlighes of the major changes over the decade
in arts partícipation as well as derailed discussions of methodology. Six reports provided in-
depth looks at audiences for individual are forms, such as jazz, chearer, opera, and musical theater.
Another focused on the importance of arts education in determining adult participation in the arts.
And, finally, there was the much-discussed report on baby boomer participation.
Alexander also initiated projects to improved national statistics on arts organizations, including
their numbers, sizes, and characteristics, 80 as DO better measure and track their financial condition
over time. With the assistance of Princeron University's Center for Arts and Cultural Policy
Studies, an integrated system of national and local research on arts organizations has been
developed and is now being resced.
American Canvas
In 1996, the Ans Endowment, in its unique national leadership role, launched American Canvas TO
assist cities, towns and rural areas in finding innovative strategies, models and partnerships to help
integrate the arts more fully into the fabric of their communities.
This privately funded iniriative brought together, first on the regional level and then nationally,
representatives from the arts, education, business, governments, civic groups, consumer and
religious organizations, and foundarions to identify ways to build a solid infrastructure for the
arts, to ensure that the arts will play an integral role in strengthening America's communities, and
to create and preserve a cultural legacy for future generations. Six regional forums were convened
in Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles, California; Sale Lake City, Utah; Rock Hill, South Carolina
and Charlorre, North Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; and Miami, Florida. American Canvas then
invited 100 nationally-recognized leaders from all sectors of society to lend their expertise and
the perspectives of cheir national organizations.
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The findings of the American Canvas initiative have been analyzed and compiled into a report
that will be disseminated widely to communities, large and small, throughout the country. The
American Canvas report will be released in early October.
Honors and Awards
Ms. Alexander has received a number of honors, including honorary degrees from the Juilliard
School, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, North Carolina School for the Arts,
Washington University in St. Louis, and the College of Santa Fe. She also has given
commencement addresses at the UCLA School of the Arts, Princeton University, Washington
College in Maryland, and the New York High School for the Performing Arts. She also has
received the 1995 Montblanc de Culture North American Award, the Common Wealth Award,
the Crystal Award and the Sara Lee Frontrunner Award for bringing the arts to the American
people.
Before coming to the Arts Endowment, Jane Alexander enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts
as an award-winning accress, producer, and author. In addition to appearances in 40 films and
relevision programs, she has performed in over 100 plays. Ms. Alexander received six Tony
Award nominations, four Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations.
She received a Tony Award for "The Great White Hope," and an Emmy Award for "Playing for
Time." Ms. Alexander has produced three films, including the acclaimed "A Marriage: Georgia
O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz" for PBS's American Playhouse. She has narrated documentaries,
short stories and books, and is co-author of an adaptation of Ibsen's "The Master Builder" and co-
author of The Bluefish Cookbook. Ms. Alexander is married to director Ed Sherin. Her son,
Jace, is a stage and film director.
###
SEP-05 96 15:47 FROM:
SEP 04 '96 11:15 FR
TO:2127512952
PAGE: 02
arts
Alice Ilchman/Peter Goldmark celebration honoring Alberta Arthurs
RSVP list: Sept. 5, 1996
"RF" as designated below, indicates The Rocketeller Foundation: "A&H" indicates Arts and
Humanities Division
ATTENDEES
Alberta & Ed Arthurs
Angela Glover Blackwell (Sr. VP, RF)
John Brademas (Chairman Emeritus, NYU; former RF trustee)
Cora Cahan (The New 42nd Street) & Benic Garsten (Lincoln Center Theater)
Clifford Chanin (Assoc. Director, A&H) & Dominique Chania
Mary Cronson ("Works and Process at the Gugerabelm") & Charlos Wuorinon (composer)
Gardon Davis (morricy) & Peggy Davis
Gratchen Dykotra (Times Square Business Improvement District) & Nat Leventhal (Pres. Lincoln Center)
Eli Evans (Rovson Foundation)
Dr. Jonathan Fanton (President, the New School) & Cynthia Fanton
Susan Garfield (Marages, Bellagio Center, RF)
Arch Gillies (Andy Wartiol Foundation) & Linds Gillies
Pcter Goldrark, Jr. (President, RF) & Alietts Goldmark
Amy Hastings (Sr. Vice President, The Salzburg Institute)
Dr. Alice Stone Ilchman (Chrm. RF Board of trustees; President, Sarah Lawrence College)
Stove Lavine (President, Cal Arts- former Assoc. Dir. A&H)
Harvey Lichtenstein (Pres. Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Margaret Maboury (former President, The Commonwealth Fund)
Lynda Mullon (Secretary, RF)
Terri Potente (Asst to the President RF)
Domien Pwono (A& H; Natrobi Field office)
Suzanne Sato (VP, AT&T Foundation; former Assoc. Dir., A&H) & Tim Hawkins
Mary Anne Schwalbe (Womon's Comm. for Refugoc Women & Children) & Doug Schwalbe (2)
Dr. Eleanor B. Sheldon (former Rocksfoller Foundation trustee; former Pres. Social Science Res. Council)
Joan Shigekawa (Assoc. Dir. A&H)
Steven Sinding (Dir. RF Pop. Sci. division) & Monica Knon
Isabel Stewart (Girls, Inc.) & Don Stewart (former head of College Board)
Lynn A. Szwaja (Sr. Research Assoc. A&H) & Doug Crawford
Reba Williams (Dis. of Special Projects, Alliance Capital Mgmt.) & Dave Williams
Molanne Verveer (Deputy Asst. to the President; Deputy Chief of Staff. First Lady)
Connie Wolf (Whitney Musoum: former A&H Warren Weaver fellow)
Dr. Harry Woolf (Institute for Advanced Study; former RF trustee) & Vickie Ann Boal-Johnson
Tomas Ybarra-Frausto (Assoc. Dir., A&H)
###
** TOTAL PAGE.02 ***
WH Arts and Humanities Dinner
October 14, 1994
The President and Mrs. Clinton
The Vice President and Mrs. Gore
TOTAL:
4
Medal of Arts Winners
Celia Cruz
Dorothy DeLay
Julie Harris
sen Pell
Erick Hawkins
Lena Horne
Pete Seeger
Catherine Filene Shouse
Wayne Thieband
14
Richard Wilbur
Representative from Young Audiences
Dave Brubeck
5
Gene Kelly
Representatives from the Kennedy family
19
13 X 2 = 26
4
TOTAL:
30
Frankel Prize Winners
Ernest Boyer
Sharon Percy Rockefeller
Peggy Prenshaw
Willian Kittredge
Dorothy Porter Wesley
5 X 2=
10
30
TOTAL:
40
Members of Congress
Hon. (Sen.) and Mrs. Claiborne Pell
Hon. (Rep.) Louise Slaughter and Mr. Robert Slaughter
Hon. (Rep.) and Mrs. Sidney Yates
Hon. (Sen.) and Mrs. Robert C. Byrd
Hon. (Sen.) and Mrs. James Jeffords
Hon. (Sen.) and Mrs. Edward Kennedy
Hon. (Rep.) and Mrs. Pat Williams
(Back-up MC: Rep. Ralph Regula)
7 X 2 =
14
40
54
Possible Media
Frank Rich
New York Times columnist, former drama critic
David Broder
Washington Post (written pro-NEA editorials, jazz enthusiast)
Amy Schwartz or Jackie Trescott
Washington Post
Cokie Roberts and Steve Roberts ?
Richard Reeves ?
Bill Moyers ?
Key Government Arts Representatives
Hon. Jane Alexander and Mr. Ed Sherin
Chairman, NEA
Hon. (Dr.) and Mrs. Sheldon Hackney
Chairman, NEH
Hon. (Dr.) and Mrs. Billington
Librarian of Congress
Hon (Dr.) John Brademas and Dr. Mary Ellen Brademas
President Emeritus, NYU
Hon. J. Carter Brown and guest
Washington, D.C.
Hon. (Dr.) Joseph Duffey & Hon. Anne Wexler
Director, USIA
Hon. Diane Frankel and Mr. Charles Frankel
Institute for Museum Services
Hon. and Mrs. Earl A. Powell III
Director, National Gallery of Art
Hon. and Mrs. James D. Wolfensohn
Chairman, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Hon. Mike and Mrs. Heyman
Future Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (will begin
position in October)
Hon. Robert Rubin and Judy Rubin
(Judy Rubin is now an NEA Council member)
Hon. Melanne Verveer and Philip Verveer
Donors
(Rosemarie Cribben will discuss with you.)
Entertainment
Perhaps 2 spaces needed for high-level entertainment
Possibles
Alec Baldwin
Chris Reeves
James Earl Jones
Susan Sarandon
Glenn Close
Yo Yo Ma
Placido Domingo, new head of Washington Opera
Garrison Keillor
Kitty Carlise Hart
Maya Lin
Stephen Sondheim
Toni Morrison
Gregory Peck
Lauren Becall-c
James DePriest, Portland Symphony Orchestra
Lerone Bennett
David Henry Wang
Rita Moreno
Marge and Charles Benton
Harold Williams, Getty
Franklin Thomas, President, Ford Foundation
Agnes Gund, Philanthropist, MOMA
Christine DeVita, Pres. DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest
Liz and George Stevens
John Bryan, Sara Lee
David Geffen
Dick Stern, Chicago Collection/Dem Giver
Bob Johnson, BE
Del Lewis, Pres., NPR
Hugh McColl, NC
Debra Voight (Opera Soprano)
James LeVine (MET Conductor/Pianist)
Harold Varmus (Director, NIH; wife: book ed. at Post)
Taylor Branch and Christy Macy
Dick Moe (National Trust for Historic Preservation; Committe for
the Preservation of the White House)
Bishop Weakland (Milwaukee, Pianist)
Mayor Kurt Schmoke -- Baltimore
Mayor Bill Campbell -- Atlanta
Mayor Norman Rice -- Seattle, (V.P. US Conf on Mayors)
REPORT DATE 09/12/94
REPORT TIME 02:43PM
Ceremony & Reception (PCAH) - September 21, 1994
A
Mr. Luis R. Cancel
President, American Council for the Arts
A A
Mr. & Mrs. Hilario Candela (Eva)
President, Spillis Candela & Partners
U
Hon. Anne Cox Chambers
Chair, Atlanta Newspapers/Cox Enterprises
A
Ms. Martha Chowning
Special Assistant to the Chairman, National Endowment for the
Humanities
A
Ms, Susan Clampitt
Deputy Chairman for Programs, National Endowment for the Arts
A
Mr. Alexander (Sandy) Crary
Chief of Staff, National Endowment for the Arts
U
Ms. Rosemary Cribben
Special Assistant to the Chairman, National Endowment for the
Art.
A
Ms. Cara Crowley
Assistant to the Director, President's Committee on the Arts &
the Humanities
A U
Mrs. Margaret Daley & Hon. (Mayor) Richard Daley
Chair, Chicago Cultural Foundation
U
Hon. (Rep.) Rosa DeLauro
House of Representatives
U
Hon. (Rop.) Norman D. Dicks
House of Representatives
A A
Hon. (Dr.) Joseph Duffey & Hon. Anne Wexler
Director, USIA
U
Hon. Ervin Duggan
Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
A
Mr. Ronald Feldman
President, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc.
A A
Mr. & Mrs. Everett L. Fly (Rosalinda)
President, E.L. Fly & Associates
A
Mrs. Nadine B. Fly
Nacogdoches, TX
A
Dr. Douglas W. Foard
Executive Secretary, The Phi Beta Kappa Society
U U
The Speaker & Mrs. Foley
House of Representatives
U U
Hon. Diane Frankel & Mr. Charles Frankel
Director, Institute of Museum Services
A
Ms. Catherine French
Chief Exacutive Director, American Symphony Orchestra League
U
Hon. (Rep.) Richard Gephardt
House of Representatives
U
Mr. Donald Gibson
Senior Humanities Advisor, National Endowment for the Humanities
REPORT DATE 09/12/94
REPORT TIME 02:43PM
Ceremony & Reception (PCAH) September 21, 1994
A
Mr. William Gilcher
Goethe-Institut Washington
UU Hon. (Rep.) & Mrs. Daniel R. Glickman (Rhoda)
House of Representatives
A A Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Golub (Roberta)
President and CEO, American Express Company
A
Ms. Judith E. Golub
Executive Director, American Arly Alliance
U
Hon. (Sen.) D. Robert Graham
United States Senate
U
Ms. Dorothea Green
Fisher Island, FL
A
A Mr. & Mrs. Richard S. Gurin (Susan)
President & CEO, Binney & Smith
A
A Hon. (Dr.) & Mrs. Sheldon Hackney (Lucy Derr)
Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
A
Dr. John Hammer
Director, National Humanities Alliance
U
Hon. Lisa A. Hembry
Dallas, TX
U U Mr. & Mrs. I. Michael Heymen (Therese)
Secretary-Elect, Smithsonian Institution
U
Ms. Irane Hirano
President & Director, Japanese-American Museum
U
Hon. Thomas C. Holt
University of Chicago
A
Ms Pamela Holt
Executive Director, D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities
A
A Mr. David Henry Hwang & Ms. Kathryn Layng
Marina Del Ray, CA
A
Mr. William Ivey
President, Country Music Foundation
A
Ms. Mary Gormley
A
Mr. Kenneth M. Jarin
Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads
A
Hon. (Sen.) James M. Jeffords
United States Senate
A A Hon. & Mrs. Roger W. Johnson (Janice)
Administrator, Ceneral Services Administration
U
Mr. Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones Productions
A
Mr. Jonathan Katz
Executive Diroctor, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
U
Dr. Stanley Katz
President, American Council of Learned Societies
U
Hon. (Sen.) Edward M. Kennedy
United States Senate
REPORT DATE 09/12/94
REPORT TIME 02:43PM
Ceremony & Reception (PCAH) - September 21, 1994
A
Ms. Kathleen Kruse
Office of Hon. Edward Kennedy
A
Hon. Madeleine Kunin
Deputy Secretary of Education, Department of Education
A
Hon. Philip Ladar
Deputy Chief of Staff
U
Hon. (Sen.) Patrick J. Leahy
United States Senate
U
Hon. Beverly Lindsey
Director, Department of Arkansas Heritage
A
Mr. Robert L. Lynch
President & CEO, National Assembly of Local Art Agencies
A
A
Hon. Emily Malino & Hon. (Amb.) James H. Scheuer
Senior Partner, Metcalf, Tobey & Partners
A
Ms. Sue Masica
Staff Director, Subcommillee on Interior & Related Agencies
Appropriations
U
Hon. (Rep.) Robert T. Matsui
(D/California), House of Representatives
U
Ms. Ellen McCulloch-Lovall
Executive Director, President's Committee on the Arts and the
Humanities
U
Hon. Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty
Counselor to the President
A
A
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Menschel (Nancy)
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
A
Mr. Juan Mestas
Deputy Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
A
Hon. (Sen.) Howard M. Metzenbaum
United States Senate
A A
Ms. Rita Moreno & Dr. Leonard Gordon
Pacific Palisades, CA
A
Ms. Melissa Moss
Director, Office of Business Liaison, Department of Commerce
U
Hon. (Sen.) Daniel Patrick Moynihan
United States Senate
A
Ms. Sondra G. Myers
Special Assistant to the Chairman, National Endowment for the
Humanities
A
Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton
House of Representatives
U
The Reverend (Father) Leo J. O'Donovan, S.J.
President, Georgatown University
A
Hon. (Sen.) Claiborne Pell
United States Senate
A
Mr. Terry Peterson
Counselor to the Secretary, Department of Education
REPORT DATE 09/12/94
REPORT TIME 02:43PM
Ceremony & Reception (PCAH) . September 21, 1994
U
Mr. Anthony Podesta
President, Podesta Associates. Inc.
A
Hon. John Podesta
Assistant to the President & Staff Secretary
UU Hon. & Mrs. Earl A. Powell III (Nancy)
Director, National Gallary of Art
U
Hon. (Sen.) David Pryor
United States Senate
A
Hon. (Rep.) William B. Richardson
House of Representatives
A
Mr. Malcolm L. Richardson
Deputy Director, President's Committee on the Arts & the
Humanities
U U The Secretary of Education & Mrs. Riley
Secretary of Education, Department of Education
U
Mr. David Rockefeller, Jr.
Vice Chairman, Rockefeller Financial Services Inc.
A A Ms. Phyllis Rosen & Mr. Jack Rosen
President, P. Rosen Inc.
U
Ilon. Robert I. Rotberg
President, World Peace Foundation
A
Hon. Judith 0, Rubin
New York, NY
A A Ms. Cynthia Perrin Schneider & Mr. Thomas J. Schneider
Sandy Spring, MD
UU Mr. & Mrs. Terry Semel (Jane Bovingdon)
Chairman, Warner Brothers
U
Hon. Roy L. Shafer
COSI
A
Ms. Ann E. Sheffer
Westport, CT
A
Mr. William Scheffler
U
Hon. (Sen.) Paul Simon
United States Senate
U
Hon. (Sen.) Alan K. Simpson
United States Senate
U
Hon. (Rep.) Louise M. Slaughter
House of Representatives
U
Mr. Raymond Smith
Chairman & CEO, Bell Atlantic
A
Ms. Kathy Dwyer Southern
Executive Director, National Cultural Alliance
A
Ms. Ana Steele
Deputy Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
UU
Mr. & Mrs. Isaao Stern (Vera)
Violinist
A
Ms. Ella King Torrey
Pew Charitable Trust
REPORT DATE 09/12/94
REPORT TIME 02:43PM
Ceremony & Reception (PCAH) - September 21, 1994
A A Mr. & Mrs. Dave Warren (Aurea)
Santa Fe, NM
A
Mr. Jeshajahu Weinberg
Director, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
A
Ms. Shirley Wilhite
Shravaport, LA
A R Mr. Harold M. Williams
President & CEO, J. Paul Gatty Trust
A
Hon. (Rep.) Pat Williams
House of Representatives
UU Hon, & Mrs. James D. Wolfenschn (Elaina)
Chairman, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
A
Hon. (Rep.) Sidney R. Yates
House of Representatives
A
Mr. Jamil S. Zainaldin
President, Federation of State Humanities Council
REPORT DATE 09/12/94
REPORT TIME 02:43PM
Ceremony & Reception (PCAH) - Wednesday, September 21, 1994 04:30PM
Contact Social Office X7787
THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. CLINTON
A U Hon. & Mrs. Robert McC. Adams (Ruth)
Secretary, The Smithsonian Institution
U
Hon. (Amb.) Madeleine K. Albright
U.S. Representative to the United Nations
A
R
Hon. Jane Alexander
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
A
Dr. Alberta Arthurs
Director, Arts & Humanities, The Rockefeller Foundation
II II Hon. Bruce Bahhitt s Hon. Harriet Bahbitt
A
Mr. Laurence Baden
Deputy Chairman for Management, National Endowment for the Arts
A
Ms. Mary Bain
Office of Hon. Sidney Yates
U
Ms. Susan Barnes-Gelt
Denver, CO
U
Ms. Linda Bell
Director, Policy, Planning & Budget, Institute of Museum Services
U U
Mr. & Mrs. Lerone Bennett (Gloria)
Executive Editor, Ebony
U U
The Secretary of the Treasury & Mrs. Bentsen
A A
Ms. Madeline Berman & Mr. Mandell L. Berman
Franklin, MI
A
Mrs. Varonica Biggins
Atlanta, GA
U U Hon. (Dr.) & Mrs. James Billington (Marjorie)
Librarian of Congress, The Library of Congress
U
Ms. Susan Bloom
Vice President, Cultural Affairs, American Express Company
A
Mr. Timothy A. Boggs
Vice President, Time-Warner Inc.
U U
Mr. & Mrs. Curt Bradbury (Charlotte)
Chairman, President & CEO, Worthan National Bank
AA
Hon. John Brademas & Dr. Mary Ellen Brademas
President Emeritus, New York University
U
Hon. Ronald H. Brown
Secretary of Commerce
A
Hon. J. Carter Brown
Director Emeritus, National Gallery of Art
U
Mr. Robert Bruenig
Desert Botanical Garden
U
Ms. Helen Brunner
Executive Director. National Association of Artists Organizations
U U Mrs. Peggy Cooper Cafritz & Mr. Conrad Cafritz
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts
APR-18-1996 16:28
202 682 5668 P.02
artswire 3.1.96
Remarks by Richard Dreyfuss:
"This evening is a celebration of music, the artists who create it, and the phenomenon of
creativity itself. Now, there are two realities in this movie (Mr. Holland's Opus). One is the
life of a teacher, a reality of defeats and victories, like all of our lives, --but one that ends
as a celebration. The other reality is the loss of music in the schools in the same America
and that is hardly a celebration.
For some strange reason, when it comes to music and the arts, our world view has led us
to believe they are easily expendable. Well, I believe that a nation that allows music to be
expendable is in danger of becoming expendable itself.
Perhaps we've all misunderstood the reason we learn music, and all the arts, in the first
place. It is not only so a student can learn the clarinet, or another student can take an acting
lesson. It is that for hundreds of years it has been known that teaching the arts, along with
history and math and biology, helps to create The Well Rounded Mind that western
civilization, and America, have been grounded on. America's greatest achievements -- in
science, in business, in popular culture, would simply not be attainable without an education
that encourages achievement in all fields. It is from that creativity and imagination that the
solutions to our political and social problems will come. We need that Well Rounded Mind,
now. Without it, we simply make more difficult the problems we face.
There's a general feeling growing in this country lately that we simply spend too much
money that we can't afford to give our children the education we grew up with. This is
an insane anxiety that allows us to forget that we are, after all, the richest country on Earth,
and that the real question is not what we can't pay for, but rather how can we efficiently
pay for the kind of public education we all want and need.
Cutting these programs, then, is like tying our children's hands behind their backs, and I
don't think anyone really wants to do that we hope for too much for our kids, and for
Our country. We are parents, most of us, and we are citizens, all of us. Don't let this
happen, I urge you."
The National Coalition for Music Education is comprised of the Music Educators National
Conference (MENC), The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS),
and The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) with support from the
American Music Conference. The Coalition was founded in 1989 to turn back the erosion
of music and arts in our nation's schools, with one of its crowning achievements being the
successful inclusion of the arts as a core subject in the National Education Goals adopted
by Congress in 1994.
For more information stop by the National Coalition for Music Education's "Mr. Holland's
Opus" Web site at: http://www.namm.com/namm/opus
7
TOTAL P.02
202 682 5668 P.02
GCT-21-1996 12:59
THE PRESIDENT'S COMMITMENT TO THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES
"For more than two centuries, the arts and the humanities have helped Americans transcend
political, religious, racial and ethnic divisions by engaging us in the common task of interpreting
and expressing the meaning of human experience. When we read each other's stories, discuss
each other's ideas, and feel each other's emotions through dance, painting and song, we come
to understand the complexity and texture of each other's lives. In doing so, we gain a greater
appreciation and understanding of the breadth of human thought and emotion. And we gain a
more profound sense of our common purpose as Americans."
President William J. Clinton, October 1994
President Clinton believes that a strong cultural life is the signature of a great nation. He has
observed that the arts and the humanities stir our citizens' minds and senses. stimulating the
learning and collective discourse we need in a participatory democracy.
Affirming Public Support
"America has flourished for over 200 years because of our willingness to cultivate the human
spirit. In these challenging times, when some are questioning the value of public support for the
arts and humanities, we must remember that these pursuits are not a luxury that we can live
without - they are a vital part of our national character, the motivating force that makes us who
we are."
President William J. Clinton, October 1995
President Clinton stood firm in his defense of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National
Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum Services in the face of Congressional
attempts to eliminate these agencies and to undermine our nation's rich cultural tradition. In
vetoing the 1996 Interior Appropriations bill, he wrote to Congress in December of 1995:
"This bill is unacceptable because it would unduly restrict our ability to protect America's
natural resources and cultural heritage the bill represents a dramatic departure from our
commitment to support for the arts and the humanities. It cuts funding of the National
Endowments for the Arts and Humanities so deeply as to jeopardize their capacity to keep
providing the cultural, educational and artistic programs that enrich America's communities
large and small."
In his 1997 budget message and negotiations, the President strongly recommended restoring
funding to the NEA, the NEH and the IMS. He recognizes the critical role these agencies play
in stimulating private funding for the arts, the humanities and museums.
President Clinton also supported full appropriations to our great federal cultural institutions such
as the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art and the
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
202 682 5668 P.03
QCT.-21-1996 13:00
12
Celebrating America's Artists and Scholars
"The human imagination is still the most powerful tool we have in moving forward as a
civilization."
President William J. Clinton, October 7, 1993
"Where there is imagination, there is always hope. Where there is potential for creative
expression, there is always the possibility for human progress."
Hillary Rodham Clinton, June 15, 1994
Through events at the White House, the President and the First Lady convey the importance of
the arts and the humanities, in their rich variety, to American society.
Each year the President honors the nation's leading artists, scholars and cultural institutions.
The National Medal of Arts and the Frankel Prize for outstanding work in the humanities
awarded each year in a ceremony at the White House. Those honored have included:
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Charles Kuralt, David McCullough, Ray Charles, Robert
Rauschenberg and Arthur Miller.
The National Award for Museum Services honoring museums for community involvement
were presented by the First Lady in October 1994 and 1995.
The National Heritage Awards, also presented by Mrs. Clinton, recognize great folk artists
that enrich our culture.
The Presidential Design Awards, hosted annually by the First Lady, showcase the best in
federal design and construction.
The First Lady opened the White House for exhibits of American art that are on display for the
visiting public to see.
The First Lady created the White House Sculpture Garden to showcase 20th century
American sculpture from museum collections all around the country, and to make these
works accessible to the thousands of White House visitors every day.
The First Lady assembled the White House Crafts Collection, a permanent collection of
72 pieces by 77 outstanding American artisans. The collection has also toured the U.S.
Hundreds of artists performed at the Inaugural ceremonies and at the White House during the last
four years, including Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Isaac Stem. Jessye
Norman, Pinchas Zukerman, Kathleen Battle, Thomas Hampson and Dawn Upshaw. Also
showcased were:
Young artists such as the St. Lawrence String Quartet, young dancers from Jacques
D'Amboise's National Dance Institute, and the Chicago Children's Choir.
The four-part Public Broadcasting Service serics, "In Performance at the White House,"
presenting American talent in jazz, country and western, blues and soul music.
American historians and other scholars who have shared their ideas.
202 682 5668 P.04
OCT-21-1996 13:00
3
Advocating Arts and Humanities for Youth
Exposure to the arts must be a part of every child's schooling. Whether a youngster grows up
in a ghetto, on a farm, in a city or a suburb, the arts are a vehicle for self-expression and for
building self-esteem. The arts enable children from all backgrounds to develop their individuality
and to contribute positively to the larger mosaic of American culture.
As part of our GOALS 2000 legislation, the arts will become a core subject in the school
curriculum, along with English, math, science, history, civics, geography and foreign language If
we plan wisely today, our children will enjoy a lifelong connection to the arts, to our collective
spirit, and to the never-ending process of learning.
President William J. Clinton, April 14, 1994
The President and Mrs. Clinton believe that all children should be able to explore their creative
potentials through artistic and intellectual activities. They also have seen first hand how
participation can transform "any child, but especially those at risk, beyond the bounds that
circumstance has prescribed." (Hillary Rodham Clinton)
The First Lady continues to draw attention to the central role the arts and the humanities play
in children's lives as she highlights programs that work around the country.
She visited the Manchester Craftsman's Guild in North Pittsburgh and Gallery 37 in
Chicago - programs for youth, including those at risk.
In a White House ceremony recognizing the work of the National Endowment for the
Arts. the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum Services,
she released Coming Up Taller: Arts and Humanities Programs for Children and Youth
At Risk, prepared by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
The Administration encourages programs and partnerships within the government, such as the
youth program "Pathways to Success" funded by the Department of Justice and the National
Endowment for the Arts.
Strengthening Federal Leadership
President Clinton believes that the federal government can be a leader in supporting and
promoting our cultural traditions.
President Clinton appointed strong. energetic leaders to head the federal cultural agencies:
Jane Alexander as Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts
John Brademas as Chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanitics
Diane Frankel as Director of the Institute of Museum Services
Sheldon Hackney as Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Signaling his dedication to the importance of America's cultural life, the President revitalized the
President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and charged the Comminee with
increasing private sector support for the arts and the humanities and the public's perception of
their value to society.
TOTAL P.04
OCT-18-1995 14:10
P.02
N TIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR
THE
ARTS
REDUCTIONS IN FORCE FACT SHEET
National Endowment for the Arts
October 17, 1995
The Federal agency
that supports the
visual, literary and
Reductions in Force
performing arts to
In response to a major Congressional budget cut of 40% and,
benefit all Americans
subsequently, a severe reduction in agency operating funds,
the agency is forced to eliminate a total of 89 positions
effective December 19, 1995.
At the beginning of FY 1995, the Endowment had a staff of
approximately 279. After a year of gradually reducing the
Arts in Education
existing workforce, this current reduction in force will
leave the agency with a total of 148 positions. This
Challenge &
change represents an overall 47% reduction in staff.
Advancement
Dance
Design Ans
Statement by Chairman Jane Alexander:
Expansion Arts
"This is the saddest day I have spent at the
Arts Endowment, as we are forced to let go 89
Folk &
people who have served the agency, our government,
Traditional Arts
the arts and the American public well for so many
years. Their dedication, skills and enthusiasm,
International
through good times and bad, cannot be replaced.
Literature
As this agency endeavors to reinvent itself, we
wish our colleagues the best and thank them for
Local Arts Agencies
their loyalty, hard work and outstanding public
service."
Media Arts
Museum
Music
Opera/Musical
Theater
Presenting a
Commissioning
State o Regional
Theater
Visual Arts
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., .VW
Wushington, DC 20506
202/682-5400
OCT-18-1995 14:11
P.03
NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR
THE
REORGANIZATION FACT SHEET
ARTS
National Endowment for the Arts
October 17, 1995
Nov Agency Structure
Our reduced funding and agency reinvention mean a major
reorganization of remaining agency staff. New assignments
The Federal agency
will take effect on December 20 and the full recrganization
that supports the
will take effect in January of 1996. Organizational charts
visual, literary and
are available on the new agency structure and staffing.
performing arts TO
benefit all Americans
New Grantmaking Categories
A reinvented and reorganized agency will be operational in
January of 1996. The Endowment will provide project
support to organizations and institutions through four main
theme categories:
Arts in Education
Heritage & Preservation: Projects must honor, assist
and make visible those arts rooted in and reflective
Challenge i
of the many traditions that make up our nation, as
Advancement
well as preserve the most significant artistic
accomplishments for future generations.
Dance
Creation & Presentation: Projects may range from 1) the
Design Arts
creation of new works, by providing the resources, time
Expansion Arts
and space to create a specific work or body of work to
2) the presentation of existing works of any period and
Folk &
in any arts discipline to audiences through a diverse
Traditional Arts
range of activities in formal or informal settings.
International
Education & Access: Projects must broaden and deepen
educational experiences for all ages, particularly
Literature
young Americans, and make the arts available to those
who, by virtue of geography, economic conditions,
Local Arts Agencies
ethnic background, disability or age, lack adequate
Media Arts
opportunities to participate in the arts.
Museum
Planning & Stabilization: Projects must offer arts
organizations, large and small, the opportunity to
Music
clarify and strengthen their missions, build their
capacity and resources, adapt to current funding
Opera/Musical
circumstances, and sustain the arts during a time of
Theater
constant change.
Presenting &
In addition, the agency will support:
Commissioning
Partnership Activities that assist the 56 state and
State & Regional
regional arts agencies in carrying out arts plans that
benefit artists, arts organizations, and arts
Theater
education efforts.
Leadership Initiatives identified by the Arts Endowment
Visual Arts
for projects, large and small, of national significance
and impact, or that serve as models, in one field or
across disciplines.
The Nancy Hunks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20506
202/682-5400
OCT-18-1995 14:11
P.04
Reorganization Fact Sheet
Page 2
The Arts Community
The Arts Endowment will support all arts disciplines and
fields, including arts education, dance, design, expansion
arts, folk & traditional arts, international projects,
literature, media arts, museums, music, opera-musical
theater, presenting, theater and visual arts.
The Endowment remains committed to supporting equitable
opportunity for all organizations and investment in as
diverse a reflection of our society as possible.
Further Changes
The agency will no longer be divided into
discipline programs, although maintaining strong
discipline expertise within the agency and in the
review of applications remains a priority.
Organizations may submit only one application per year
to one of the four categories.
Congress has eliminated seasonal support and direct
grants to individuals except literature, Jazz Masters
and Heritage fellowships.
New Guidelines
A new, single guideline book describing the four new theme
categories, eligibility requirements, review criteria and
the application process will be available in January of
1996. It is anticipated that the book will cover the
remaining part of FY 1996 and FY 1997 as well.
Organizations that have not received a copy of the book by
mid-January should contact the agency at 202/682-5400.
Future Applications
The number of applications coming into the agency
will have to be substantially reduced because of the
major staff reductions.
After reading the new guideline book in January, applicants
are encouraged to contact the discipline advisor or
specialist representing their particular field before
submitting an application to one of the four categories.
Each application, regardless of the theme category to which
it is submitted, will be received first by the appropriate
discipline advisor or specialist, who then will implement
a discipline/field-based process with experts in that field
to review each application. The most outstanding
applications will be submitted to the broader theme panel.
OCT-18-1995 14:12
P.05
Reorganization Fact sheet
Page 3
Information Materials
Individual programs at the Endowment have begun
disseminating letters and fact sheets to their respective
fields about how we are dealing with applications,
categories and deadlines in the interim period between now
and February of 1996. By mid to late November of 1995, the
agency will be able to provide more detailed information on
the reorganization and how it will affect potential
applicants. At that time, we will disseminate information
as it becomes available.
General Information
Fiscal Year 1996 will be a transition year. A major
restructuring of any organization, whether in the public or
private sector, involves a high degree of cooperation,
flexibility, patience and vision by those affected both
within and outside of the organization. The Endowment
staff is working extremely hard to ensure that our
reinvented agency continues to fulfill its mission to
foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts
in America and to broaden public access to the arts.
If you have any questions about the new agency
reorganization, please contact the Office of Communications
at 202/682-5570.
TOTAL P.05
NEA makes grants
As fight for life nears
Agency conducts 'business as usual'
left causes and, in at least one
By Julia Duin
case, outright misrepresentation."
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
In "One Nation Under God," he
ecorated in red and green
said, "one man had his comments
D
ink, a sign advertising a
edited to make them say exactly
holiday party for Na-
the opposite of his intent. They
tional Endowment for
shouldn't be rewarded with tax-
the Arts staffers hung by the ele-
payer dollars if they can't meet
vator to NEA offices this week in
minimal standards of fairness and
the Old Post Office Pavilion.
accuracy."
The blurb, promising "turkey,
"POV," which has won several
trimming and good cheer," was a
awards, is "excellent program-
reminder that, if some Republi-
ming," NEA spokeswoman Cherie
cans have their way, this could be
Simon said. "They've done an
the last year the NEA celebrates
enormous amount of superb
ies fellow at the Capitol Research
Christmas. Congress' majority
broadcasting," she said, such as
Center, who called the grant pack-
party has promised to defund the
"Silverlake Life," about two men
age "a politically correct pork bar-
arts agency next year.
who died of AIDS, and documen-
rel of patronage."
NEA Chairman Jane Alexander
taries about Alzheimer's victims
"This is business as usual for
plans to start lobbying Capitol Hill
and Vietnam Veterans Memorial
the NEA. They've drawn their line
in January, the NEA says, search-
designer Maya Lin.
in the sand, they are showing the
ing out legislators favorable to her
For the first time since the NEA
Republicans who's more powerful,
agency.
was reorganized last year, "im-
and they're not backing down," he
The NEA announced a batch of
pact" was one of the criteria -
said.
grants this week for 1997 and 1998,
along with artistic excellence —
This $16.9 million batch of
most of which are going to non-
used in awarding grants. This
grants attracted 887 applicants,
controversial groups producing
change may have helped a youth-
from which 293 groups were se-
everything from ballet to basket
outreach program at the Woolly
lected. It is the first of two rounds
weaving. A few landed in red-flag
Mammoth Theatre Company, an
of grants totaling $82.5 million.
areas, such as a $400,000 grant for
experimental, avant-garde theater
The largest grant, for $1 mil-
"Point of View," a Public Broad-
in Washington, get a $20,000 grant.
lion, went to WNET-TV in New
casting Service series.
Mr. Knight criticized the grant,
York, a public station, for its
"POV," which has received NEA
saying, "Woolly Mammoth is gay
"Great Performances," "Dance in
funding since 1988, has not lived
theater central," because of an ap-
America" and "American Mas-
down the furor it created in 1991
pearance there by homosexual ac-
ters" series.
when it aired "Tongues Untied," &
tivist Tim Miller last year in the
Republicans acknowledge
graphic film about the sex lives of
show "Naked Breath," in which Mr.
there may be a pitched battle over
homosexual black men.
Miller bared his genitals twice.
NEA funding next summer, when
The series planned to air "Stop
A $25,000 grant went to Camera
Congress debates appropriations
the Church," a film made by a
News Inc., which also does busi-
for fiscal 1998. Republicans will
member of ACT UP about AIDS
ness as Third World Newsreel, a
hold a nine-vote majority in the
activists protesting the Roman
New York distributor of films es-
House, but not all of them are anti-
Catholic Church, until the
pousing minority, anti-war or po-
NEA, and not all Democrats sup-
"Tongues Untied" furor.
litically left causes. The grant was
port the arts agency.
Last year, the series showed
to support a training workshop for
Like Miss Alexander, the sub-
"One Nation Under God," which
young artists, launch a World Wide
committee on oversight and inves-
attacked a support group for ex-
Web site and publish a 30th-
tigations of the House Economic
homosexuals called Exodus Inter-
anniversary catalog.
and Educational Opportunities
national and like-minded thera-
Other grants included $200,000
Committee, which oversees the
pists.
for a new classical program on Na-
NEA, is preparing for a showdown.
"They produce explicitly anti-
tional Public Radio and $40,000 for
Staffers are assembling a
Christian works," said Robert
"Fresh Air With Terry Gross," an
"rogue's gallery" of unpopular
Knight, director of cultural stud-
NPR-funded program based in
NEA grant recipients, said Jon
ies for the Family Research Coun-
Philadelphia.
Brandt, a spokesman for subcom-
cil. " 'POV's track record is one of
"That's NPR's left-wing show,"
mittee Chairman Peter Hoekstra,
periodic propaganda for liberal-
said Larry Jarvik, a cultural stud-
Michigan Republican.
The Washington Times
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1996
mits
ought
for EPA
"Everything that's wrong with
federal mandates is wrong with
federal mandates on pollution," he
said. "The record does not show
Defender of nature
that federal officials are more en-
Pentagon
vironmentally sensitive than state
urges state control
officials, just that they have the
power to act more opportunistical-
lifts veil
ly."
By Joyce Price
The EPA declined to comment
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
on Mr. Schoenbrod's proposal to
remove most of its authority. "But
on launch
The Environmental Protection
we exist because Congress says we
Agency should be stripped of most
shall exist, and Congress also says
of its power, says a nationally re-
how we shall exist," an agency of-
nowned environmental activist.
Payload, mission
ficial said.
Control of local pollution should
Mr. Schoenbrod hopes his rec-
be returned to the states, says Da-
remain classified
ommendation will generate hear-
vid Schoenbrod, and the EPA
ings and bills in the 105th Con-
REUTERS NEWS AGENCY
should battle interstate pollution
gress.
and draft "model state environ-
A supersecretive Pentagon arm
NRDC legislative director Greg
mental law" that the states would
yesterday lifted the veil for the
Wetstone described Mr. Schoen-
be free to reject.
first time on the scheduled launch
brod as "one of the extreme voices
Mr. Schoenbrod served as a
of a U.S. spy satellite in what it
in denying government agencies
staff lawyer for the New York-
called a major step toward greater
the ability to enforce and carry out
based Natural Resources Defense
openness. But the payload and its
environmental laws."
Council (NRDC) from 1972 to
mission remain classified.
Mr. Wetstone said Mr. Schoen-
1979.
The National Reconnaissance
"In the downsized EPA that I
brod last year "advocated that the
Office, whose very existence was
EPA should not be empowered to
propose, the EPA, stripped of its
a secret until 1992, said it would no
issue any laws" until they have
fiat power, could retain its leader-
longer seek to shield the fact of a
been passed by Congress. Mr.
ship role only by convincing states
launch because doing so was
Taylor said that proposal gener-
to adopt its regulations by the
costly and unnecessary for U.S.
ated many unsuccessful bills in
quality and sensibility of its poli-
national security.
Congress to make that change.
cies," he wrote in the winter issue
A U.S. spy satellite will be
of Regulation, a Cato Institute
Mr. Wetstone said the NRDC,
launched tomorrow from Vanden-
magazine.
like Mr. Schoenbrod, believes that
berg Air Force Base, 55 miles
Mr. Schoenbrod's call for a
"states should have a prominent
north of Santa Barbara, Calif., the
"radical reduction in the national
role" in pollution control but in-
NRO said. It said the launch ve-
role for pollution control" is not
sists that is the case. He also said
hicle was a Titan IV, the largest
what one would expect from a for
the NRDC likes the current bal-
unmanned booster in the U.S.
mer leader of the NRDC, an erivi-
ance between federal and state
space launch inventory.
ronmental advocacy group that he
control and opposes the idea of
Katherine Schneider, an NRO
says was on President Nixon's "en-
limiting the EPA's jurisdiction to
spokeswoman, said it was tough to
emies list."
interstate pollution.
keep secret a satellite "that's sit-
Nor would a one-time NRDC ac-
In his report, "Why States, Not
ting on top of a very iarge iaunch
tivist be expected to contribute an
EPA, Should Set Pollution Stan-
vehicle."
article to a magazine of the Cato
dards," Mr. Schoenbrod argues
"What we want to protect is the
Institute, a libertarian think tank.
that control of local pollution
technology," she said, acknowl-
In fact, Mr. Schoenbrod, a profes-
should be returned to the states
edging that it was well known that
sor at the New York Law School,
because the "nationaltakeover" by
the NRO and the Air Force were
has been an adjunct scholar at
bureaucrats, the federal judiciary
launching spy satellites from Van-
Cato for about a year, said Jerry
and special interests has made en-
denberg and Cape Canaveral Air
Taylor, a Cato official.
vironmental policy unaccountable
Station, Fla.
When he was at the NRDC, Mr.
to the public.
John Pike, who heads the Space
Schoenbrod went to court to force
The federal role in pollution
Policy Project at the Federation of
the New York state and city gov-
"should be limited to interstate
American Scientists, a policy re-
ernments to devise ways to finance
pollution," he said, but "most EPA
search group based in Washing-
the 1970 Clean Air Act. "I led the
regulations" deal with pollution
ton, said the new policy would save
campaign to get lead out of gas-
within states. "It's nuts," Mr.
taxpayers hundreds of thousands
oline and sued the EPA" to make it
Schoenbrod said.
of dollars per launch in wasted se-
move on that issue, he said.
curity costs. He said the money
Before the 1970s, pollution reg-
Mr. Schoenbrod still considers
was wasted because experts like
ulation was almost exclusively the
himself an environmentalist but
himself could always figure out
province of state and local govern-
says some of his experiences at the
what was being launched, partly
ments.
NRDC caused him to decide that
by looking at launch windows.
the EPA's authority in pollution
control needs to be scaled down.
"My current view is that the
federal role is much overblown.
That wasn't my position when I
The Washington Times
was with the NRDC," he said in a
telephone interview.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1996
FEB-06-1997 15:59
P.01
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20506-0001
202/682-5400
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF
Office of the Chairman
TO:
Melanne
FAX:
456-6244
FROM:
ALEXANDER D. CRARY
A.
202-682-5652 (phone)
202-682-5063 (fax)
DATE:
February 6, 1997
NUMBER OF PAGES:
8
MESSAGE:
Here are three documents for you:
1.
The letter from Congressman Goodling about the extent of the
Hoekstra investigation.
2.
The transcript from the NPR piece this morning. (4 pages)
3.
Our press release on the President's State of the Union remarks.
Thanks for all you did to make this happen. The response so
far from press calls and the public has been overwhclmingly positive.
We will be having a Senate appropriations (Gorton) hearing after all.
on April 24th.
Cherie, Dick and I are prepared to come over anytime to assist in briefing
your colleagues on any Endowment matters just say when.
Jane put in a call to you before her hasty departure to say personally how much
she would like Mrs. Clinton to speak at our National Council meeting
on March 7 (anytime in the morning). Could you let me know if this
is in the realm of possibility I am doing a tentative agenda now.
FEB-06-1997 15:59
P.02
THOMAS a. PETRI, WISCONSIN
MARCH ROUNDEMA, NEW JERSEY
DALE E. KILDEE, MICRIGAN
MARRIS WK. FAWILL BLENCH
MATTHEWO MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA
CASE BALLENGER, WORTH CAROLINA
MAJOR R. OWENTS. NEW YORK
BILL & BARRETT. HEURAMEICA
DONALD M. PAYNE. NEW JERSEY
PETER HOSKSTRA, MOMKAN
PATSY T. MINK, HAWAII
HOWARD P. "BUCK" McKBON. CALIFORNIA
ROBERT e. ANDREWO, NEW JERSEY
MIKE N. CASTLE DELAWARE
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
TIM ROBMER. INDIANA
BAM JOHNSON, TEXAS
ROBERT c. TORRY' BOOTT. VIRGINIA
- TALENT, MISSOURI
LYNN c. WOOLDEY, CALIFORNIA
JAMES c. GREENWOOD. PENNSYLVANIA
JOBERH K. KNOLLENGERO. MICHIGAN
AND THE WORKFORCE
CARLOS A. ROMERO-BARCELD, PUERTO RICO
CHAKA PATTAM. PENNSYLVANIA
FRANK D. RUGIONS, CALIFORNIA
EARL ILUMENAUER, OREGON
LINDSEY O. ORAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
RUSEN HINOJOSAL TEXAS
MARK BOUDER, INDIANA
CAROLYN MOCARTHY. NEW YORK
DAVID MONTGOM, INDIANA
2181 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
JOHN THERHEY, MAINACHUSETTS
CHARLIE NORWOOD, GEORGIA
WASHINGTON, DC 20515-8100
NON KIND, WISCONSIN
NON PAUL TEXAS
LORSTTA BANCHEZ. CALIFORNIA
SOB COMPPER. COLORADO
HAROLD FORD, R. TENNESSEE
JOHN 2. PETERSON, MINNSYLVANIA
FRED UPTON. MICHIGAN
MATHAN DEAL ONEORIONA
VAN HILLEARY, TENNESSEE
MAJORITY-C2020 228-4527
JOB BCARDCROLKIN. FLORIDA
(TTY)-(202) 220-3372
MINORUTY-(202) 228-3725
February S, 1997
(771)-0202) 220-3114
VIA FACSIMILE: (202) 682-5617
Ms. Jane Alexander
Chairman
National Endowment for the Arts
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20506
Dear Ms. Alexander:
Thank you for your letter noting your concerns with the oversight activities currently
being carried out by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Subcommittee) of the
Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee).
First, let me begin by noting that I, too, was troubled by the quote in the Washington
Times which characterized the Committee's oversight of the National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA/Endowment) in terms of a "rogue gallery." In fact, after seeing the quote, I personally
reviewed the Subcommittee's oversight plan relating to the NEA, in addition to reviewing the
activities of the Subcommittee to date. While I continue to believe the quote was unfortunate
and untimely, 1 was rather troubled by some of the documents and videos I reviewed which,
according to the NEA's own documentation, appear to be funded, at least in part, by the
American taxpayer.
Second. the rules of the U.S. House of Representative's require that, to the extent
possible, every major program under the Committee's jurisdiction be reviewed every 10 years.
The Endowment, however, has not been the subject of any significant House oversight in the past
15 years. As the Chairman of the Committee with primary jurisdiction over the NEA, it is my
responsibility to ensure, in accordance with the House rules, that appropriate oversight of the
NEA is performed.
With that said, let me assure you that this Subcommittee has always performed
systematic and thorough reviews of the Departments and agencies under its jurisdiction. The
primary objectives of this oversight, as outlined in the Committee's oversight plan, is to ensure
that the programs under its jurisdiction:
FEB-06-1997 16:00
P.03
1) serve an appropriate federal role;
2) operate in an effective and efficient manner; and
3) act in accordance with Congressional intent.
The Subcommittee has undertaken an effort to explore each of these three areas. In fact, )
have personally reviewed the Subcommittec's efforts, and am impressed with its thorough.
objective and systematic approach. I am confident that the Subcommittee's oversight of the
NEA, under the watchful direction of Chairman Hoekstra, will continue to meet these same high
standards.
Finally, let me emphasize that the oversight activities of this Committee will reach well
beyond a review of the types of art being funded by the NEA. Indeed, the oversight plan, when
fully implemented, will examine the Endowment's management structure, grant-making process,
internal policies and procedures, response to recommendations of the Inspector General, use of
funds, costs, accounting standards, economic impact and general operations. This review will
encompass your tenure, and will be sensitive to both the internal and Congressionally mandated
reforms made during this period. Upon conclusion of the Subcommittee's oversight activities, I
am confident that wc will both have a greater understanding of the NEA. This understanding
will guide the Committee in its legislative and oversight responsibilities relating to the NEA.
In closing, I look forward to reviewing the NEA materials related to the Subcommittee's
request regarding Women Make Movies, Inc. I appreciate your past and continued cooperation in
the Committee's oversight activities. Should you wish to discuss this personally, I am more than
willing to meet with you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Bill
BILL. GOODLING
Chairman
PS I am curious to know whether you have ever watched Watermelon Woman or Sex Is (which
was funded before your tenure)? 1 would think we can both agree that no taxpayer funds should
have been used to support either of these films.
WFG/dam
cc: Rep. Pete Hoeksura
Rep. Bill Clay
FEB-06-1997 16:01
P.04
TRANSCRIPT
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
MORNING EDITION PIECE ON THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
FEBRUARY 6, 1997
BOB EDWARDS, HOST: Today, when President Clinton releases his proposed budget
for the next fiscal year. he's expected to request an increase in funding for
the National Endowment for the Arts. NEA funding has been cut by almost 40
percent in the last two years.
Tuesday night, during his State of the Union address, the president affirmed his
support for federal funding of the arts.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our economy is measured
in numbers and statistics, and it's very important. But the enduring worth of our
nation lies in our shared values and our soaring spirit.
So, instead of cutting back on our modest efforts to support the arts and
humanities, I believe we should stand by them and challenge our artists,
musicians, and writers, challenge our museums, libraries, and theaters.
APPLAUSE
We should. we should challenge all Americans in the arts and humanities to join
with their fellow citizens to make the year 2000 a national celebration of the
American spirit in every community.
EDWARDS: It was the first time in almost a year that a major public official has
endorsed federal funding of the arts. In fact there's been a strange silence
about paying for the NEA. It was a controversial subject two years ago, and may
become one again as Congress prepares for another vote on arts funding.
NPR's Dean Olsher reports.
DEAN OLSHER, NPR REPORTER: Two years ago. when Republicans took control of
Congress, conservative Republicans called for the elimination of the national
endowments for the arts and humanities.
They came close to getting rid of the NEA, but supporters managed to strike a
deal to keep funding for the agency for two years at reduced levels and then to
stop funding it the third year. This is the third year.
There's some difference of opinion about whether the agreement applied to both
the NEA and the NEH, or just the arts endowment.
MORE : :
FEB-06-1997 16:01
P.05
And while key Republicans are operating under the assumption that the agreement
is still in effect, it's widely believed that the future of the NEA is anything
but certain.
Lobbyists for the arts endowment are pinning their hopes for its survival on
moderate House Republicans, such as Rick Lazio of New York.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE RICK LAZIO (R-NY): The fate of the NEA somewhat depends on
parliamentary maneuvering.
OLSHER: Because for four years now, the NEA and the NEH have been funded without
authorization. Before an agency can receive money, Congress must first authorize
it to operate.
That didn't used to matter. When Democrats, many of them NEA supporters, were in
the majority, they could simply waive the rule. The avoided politically
embarrassing floor debate over controversial grants from minority Republicans by
putting off reauthorization.
Two years ago, when the balance of power was reversed and Republicans took
control of the waiver process, the NEA was suddenly vulnerable to what's called
a point of order.
LAZIO: Any one of the 435 members of Congress can stand up on the floor of the
House and object and ask that that provision be stricken or that program be
eliminated because it is not properly authorized.
In the past, the program had been protected against that type of point of order
by way of a procedural rule.
Now. with Republicans controlling the rules, that waiver is no longer certain.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE RALPH REGULA (R-OH): So, that means that any one member, in
the absence of a waiver or an authorization, any one member has a veto.
OLSHER: Republican Ralph Regula of Ohio is chairman of the appropriations
subcommittee that deals with NEA funding, and he expects that kind of veto.
REGULA: There's no question it would happen, because I've already had some of
the conservatives express concern to me and say very clearly that they're going
to object to any attempt to continue funding for NEA.
Therefore, I think if the leadership determines that supporting the cultural
institutions of this nation are important, that they're going to have to work
out some compromise agreements. And that's not without possibility.
-- MORE --
FEB-06-1997 16:02
P.06
OLSHER: So far, however, Regula says he hasn't heard from the House leadership
on how it wants to deal with the NEA.
Republican Gerald Solomon of New York has made it clear that waivers will be
permitted only with the approval of the House Rules Committee, which he chairs,
and that he's going to tighten enforcement of that procedure during this session
of Congress.
If there is enough bipartisan support for the NEA and many observers believe
there is there are ways around the question of authorization.
DICK WOODRUFF, CONGRESSIONAL LIAISON, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE
ARTS: The issue of an authorization, in my view, has always been a dodge.
OLSHER: Dick Woodruff is the congressional liaison at the National Endowment for
the Arts.
WOODRUFF: Literally. I say scores, it could be even more, it could be hundreds
of government programs that are not authorized are appropriated every year.
And the fact that the endowment has no authorization is a technical matter. It
has nothing to do with whether or not we will ultimately be appropriated funds
next year.
What will govern that is whether or not we have the support in the House and the
Senate and the President.
OLSHER: The President reaffirmed his support this week, and it's believed that
there is enough support in the Senate, but there are still questions about who
in the House will vote to fund the NEA.
A conservative policy group in the House, the Conservative Action Team, is
planning to release its agenda next week, and it will call for the elimination
of the endowment.
Next month, the House will start hearings on appropriations, and the Senate
follows in April.
Certain conservative Republicans have said they will hold hearings not only to
hold the agency accountable for what some have called questionable grants, but
also to determine whether the government should be in the business of funding
the arts at all.
But the worst that Dick Woodruff of the NEA fears is a House bill with no
funding for the NEA.
-- MORE --
FEB-06-1997 16:02
P.07
WOODRUFF: In that situation, I'm certain that the Senate would put money in the
bill, and we'd go to conference, and we'd wind up with hopefully the same
appropriation we have now.
So, in that sense, I think the worst-case scenario stills leaves the endowment
funded at or about its present level of funding.
OLSHER: But maybe it's too early to be talking about worst-case scenarios.
Woodruff and other arts advocates believe the 105th Congress is more moderate
than the 104th and that the National Endowment for the Arts has a good chance of
surviving whatever threats to its existence crop up in the months ahead.
This is Dean Olsher in Washington.
###
FEB-06-1997 16:03
P.08
NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
NEWS RELEASE
FOR
THE
ARTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
February 6, 1997
Cherie Simon
202-682-5570
Office of Communications
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
STATEMENT BY JANE ALEXANDER,
Washington. DC 20506
CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
202/682-5570
Fax 202/682-5611
In Response to the President's Proposed NEA Budget and
His Remarks in Support of the Arts in the State of the Union Address
"I applaud President Clinton. His vision of a national celebration of our American
culture to usher in the new millennium and his strong commitment to the
Endowment underscore the arts as crucial to our creative spirit as a nation."
President Clinton's Fiscal Year 1998 budget request for the NEA:
$136 million
Year
Annual appropriation
FY97
$ 99.5 million
FY96
$ 99.5 million
FY95
$162.3 million
Excerpt of President Clinton's State of the Union address:
"I'd like to make just one last point about our national community. Our economy
is measured in numbers and statistics. And it's very important. But the enduring
worth of our nation lies in our shared values and our soaring spirit. So instead of
cutting back on our modest efforts to support the arts and humanities, I believe we
should stand by them and challenge our artists, musicians, and writers -- challenge
our museums, libraries and theaters. We should challenge all Americans in the arts
and humanities to join with their fellow citizens to make the year 2000 a national
celebration of the American spirit in every community, a celebration of our
common culture in the century that is past and in the new one to come in a new
millennium so that we can remain the world's beacon not only of liberty but of
creativity long after the fireworks have faded."
###
TOTAL P.08
MEMBERS PERSONAL ATTENTION
NEA COMPROMISE
(1)
$99.494 million per year in NEA funding for the next two years.
(2)
Termination of the National Endowment of the Arts in two years.
(3)
Self-executing rule for an amendment making the NEA appropriation subject to a House-
passed authorization.
(4)
House authorization will codify the two years and out NEA deal.
(5)
House authorization will include phase-out language assuring the move to private funding
over a period of indefinite time.
(6)
All money paid out by NEA should go only to institutions and states.
(7)
Motion to instruct House conferees.
PLEASE DELIVER ASAP
RE: RULE ON
INTERIOR APPROPRIATION
DRAFT COMPROMISE ON NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
July 13, 1995
NEA will receive $99,494,000 in each of next two years. (FY 1996 and 1997)
FY 1996 Interior Appropriations Bill will include $99,494,000 for NEA
NEA will terminate after two years.
This amendment will be included in Interior Appropriations Bill as part of a self-
executing rule.
House NEA Authorization Bill will be modified to reflect this agreement to terminate
NEA after two years.
House Authorization Bill will include phase-out language assuring a shift to private
funding over an indefinite time period
All funding distributed by NEA shall go only to states and institutions (not individuals)
There will be a motion to instruct conferees on the Interior Appropriations Bill to insist
on House position.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
CHRONOLOGY OF CHANGE 1993-1997
House and Senate conferees report 39
percent NEA budget cut for FY 96.
Clinton Administration
Jane Alexander sworn
Chairman eliminates
Conference report codifies earlier NEA
petitions for rehearing of
in as Chairman.
long-established
decision to eliminate subgrants, and imposes
Government shuts down.
decision handed down by 3-
practice of
further restrictions-eliminates nearly all
judge panel of Ninth Circuit
Grantee reporting
subgranting in nearly
grants to individual artists, and abolishes the
Court of Appeals that
tightened. Final grant
every category.
long-established practice of awarding arts
"decency and respect"
payment made
organizations seasonal operating support.
provision in NEA statute is
Conference report is subsequently rejected by
unconstitutional.
contingent upon NEA
receipt and approval
the House.
of interim progress
reports.
Chairman announces major structural
reorganization of NEA effective in January.
Congress finally passes FY
individual discipline programs are eliminated
96 NEA appropriations
and replaced by four interdisciplinary funding
enacting 39 percent cut.
categories. Arts organizations are limited to
Subgrant, seasonal support
one application for assistance per year. State
and grants to individuals
and regional grants are consolidated into single
restrictions enacted.
partnership agreements. All applications
submitted in pipeline to be completed by
1993
1994
1995
February.
1996
Oct
Jan
May
Aug
Oct
Mar
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Mar
Apr
Nov/Dec
Dec
Chairman moves
NEA begins operating
Bill containing NEA
Chairman
to increase the
Anticipating
under the first of 13
appropriation and
initiates
effectiveness of
continuing
Congressional
NEA begins
National Council on the Arts
budget cuts,
comprehensive
the National
NEA
resolutions, producing
restrictions vetoeo
receiving
approves and Chairman
review of
management
seven months of
by President.
applications under
announces grants reviewed
Council on the
agency grant
Arts. New voting
begins
Chairman continues
the new
under new NEA structure.
uncertainty about the
review and
system initiated
comprehensive
interdisciplinary
Council requests Chairman
budget. Chairman
to comply with
to evaluate staff-intensive
monitoring
allowing Council
examination of
announces massive
Congressional
grant review
review process and make
procedures.
members to cast
NEA's structure
reduction-in-force.
restrictions despite
process.
individual votes on
adjustments as necessary.
and operating
40 percent of agency
the veto. 40 percent
grant applications
systems.
staff to lose their jobs
of NEA staff laid off.
increasing candor
in December.
in the grant
review.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
CHRONOLOGY OF CHANGE 1993-1997
House and Senate conferees report 39
percent NEA budget cut for FY 96.
Clinton Administration
Jane Alexander swom
Chairman eliminates
Conference report codifies earlier NEA
petitions for rehearing of
in as Chairman.
decision to eliminate subgrants, and imposes
decision handed down by 3-
long-established
Government shuts down.
practice of
further restrictions-eliminates nearly all
judge panel of Ninth Circuit
Grantee reporting
subgranting in nearly
grants to individual artists, and abolishes the
Court of Appeals that
tightened. Final grant
long-established practice of awarding arts
"decency and respect"
every category.
organizations seasonal operating support.
provision in NEA statute is
payment made
Conference report is subsequently rejected by
unconstitutional.
contingent upon NEA
the House.
receipt and approval
of interim progress
reports.
Chairman announces major structural
reorganization of NEA effective in January.
Congress finally passes FY
Individual discipline programs are eliminated
96 NEA appropriations
and replaced by four interdisciplinary funding
enacting 39 percent cut.
categories. Arts organizations are limited to
Subgrant, seasonal support
one application for assistance per year. State
and grants to individuals
and regional grants are consolidated into single
restrictions enacted.
partnership agreements. All applications
submitted in pipeline to be completed by
1993
1994
1995
February.
1996
Oct
Jan
May
Aug
Oct
Mar
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Mar
Apr
Nov/Dec
Dec
Chairman moves
NEA begins operating
Bill containing NEA
Chairman
to increase the
Anticipating
under the first of 13
appropriation and
National Council on the Arts
initiates
effectiveness of
budget cuts,
continuing
Congressional
NEA begins
comprehensive
the National
NEA
resolutions, producing
restrictions vetoed
receiving
approves and Chairman
review of
management
seven months of
by President.
applications under
announces grants reviewed
Council on the
under new NEA structure.
Arts. New voting
begins
uncertainty about the
Chairman continues
the new
agency grant
review and
system initiated
comprehensive
budget. Chairman
interdisciplinary
Council requests Chairman
to comply with
to evaluate staff-intensive
monitoring
allowing Council
examination of
announces massive
Congressional
grant review
review process and make
procedures.
members to cast
NEA's structure
reduction-in-force.
restrictions despite
process.
adjustments as necessary.
individual votes on
and operating
40 percent of agency
the veto. 40 percent
grant applications
systems.
staff to lose their jobs
of NEA staff laid off.
increasing candor
in December.
in the grant
review.
Congress of the United States
House of Representatibes
Mashington, DC 20515
May 22, 1996
The Henorable New Gingrich
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
H-232 the Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Speaker:
We are writing to urge the leadership's support for continued funding of the National
Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Last year Congress reduced NEA funding 10 $99.5 million, a 39
percent reduction exceeding the cuts imposed upon many other agencies in government. As the
Interior Subcommittee considers their FY 1997 funding allocations, we want to express our
support for a minimum of $99.5 million for the NEA.
This year's cut in funding already is affecting the ares as statcs are having to cut back
education programs Museums, orchestras, dance companies. opera and professional theaters also
arc scaling back community education and outreach programs for children and families. Further
cuts could adversely affect many organizations in our districts which demend upon a combination
of private and public funding to supplement earned income. Evidence has shown that income
from ticket sales, memberships. etc. fails to cover the cost of all but the mus! commercial arts
projects.
T he thirty year federal investment made by the NEA has given many Americans the real
opportunity to experience the art created in their own communities. The funding has made
possible the placement of thousands of artists-in-residence in our public schools, children's
festivals, literacy programs, grants to museums. galleries and orchesuas, dance touring, folk and
music festivals, mobile Shakespeare festivals and hundreds of other projects.
Rural areas, in particular, depend on NEA support since they do not receive large
corporate and foundation contributions. For exampie, when nobody else was interested in
supporting a gathering of western cowboy poets. the NEA did. Now, the annual gathering in
Elko, Nevada, is a major event in the cultural life of the west, attended by thousands of people
from all over the country. The NEA helped star: the Utah Sundance Festival for independent
filmakers, and it continues 10 support the Fourth of July folk festival on the Mall in Washington,
D.C.
06/04/96
18:55
'O'
The NEA has made efforts to prioritize its needs and substantially reduce its
administrative costs through restructuring. They also are improving existing partnerships with
states and local communities as well as exploring innovative ways of generating income for the
arts.
Recognizing the continuing importance of the work that this small agency is doing, we
stand ready to meet with you to discuss alternative funding mechanisms that will allow it to
continue its work.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.
Sincerely,
Gulf Laz
Roukema
Lazio
mage Roukema
Gharf Brehlert Bochlert
lmise Morella
Morella
Gondersen
Namey Jahnson Johnson
CasHe
Mire Catte
Jan Parta
Ramstad
Shays
Gilchrest
WayneT Gilstrest
Sen Gilman
Staphen Horn
Hom
Jack Juinn Quinn Im Davis Davis
00/04/90
Franks
Bob Frank Mih Forker
Tool Frelinghaysen Tolkildsen Jon D.Fap Klug Fox
Silly
Aus Hughton Houghter
Wakh
J Walt
Blute
Octe Blute
Kelly
Sucrokelly
Lynch
J-Cant ** Carl
Greenwood
James Greenwood
Brisu P. Albray Bilbray Shan
B Catourette
91
18:06 No. .005 P.01
Chaires
GEORGE MILLER, CALIFORNIA
PETRI, WISCONSIN
DALE E. KILDRE. MOHKIAN
WARGE ROUKSMA. NEW JERSEY
MATTHEW o. MARTINEZ CALIFORNIA
HARRIS W. FAWILL ILLINOIS
MAJOR R. OWENS, NEW YORK
CASS BALLENGER. NORTH CAROLINA
DONALD M. PAYME. NEW JERSEY
BILLE. BARKETT, NEGRABKA
PATSY Y. MINK, HAWAII
PETER HOEKSTRA, MICHIGAN
ROBERT = ANDREWS. NEW JERSEY
HOWARD P. "BUCK" MaKEON, CALIFORNIA
TIM ROBIER. INDIANA
MIKE N. CASTLE. DELAWARE
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
ROBERT c. BOBBY" BCOTT, VIRGINIA
6AM JOHNSON. TEXAS
LYNN c. WOOLSEY. CALIFORNIA
JM TALENT, MISSOURI
AND THE WORKFORCE
CARLOS A. ROMERO-BARCELO, PUERTO RICO
JAMES c. GREENWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA
OHAKA FATTAH, PENNSYLVANIA
JOSEPH K. KNOLLENBERG. MICHIGAN
EARL BLUMENAUER. OREGON
FRANK D. RIQUE, CALIFORNIA
LINDGEY O. ORAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA
U.S. I IOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
RUSEN HINOJOBA, TEXAS
CAROLYN MICARTHY, HCW VORK
MARK BOUDER INDIANA
2181 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
JOHN TERNEY, MASSACHUSETTS
DAVID MeiNTOSH, INDIANA
CHARLIE NURWOOD, GEORGIA
WASHINGTON, DC 20516-6100
RON KIND, WISCONSIN
LORETTA SANOHEZ CALIFORNIA
NON PAUL TEXAS
HAROLD FORD. a TENNCOSEE
BOB SCHAFFER, COLORADO
JOHN a. PETERSON, MENNSYLVANIA
PRED UPTON, MICHIGAN
NATHAN DEAL, GEORGIA
MAJORITY. (102) 226-4537
VAN HILLEARY, TENNESSEE
(TTY)-(202) 226-3372
JOE BOARBOROUGH, FLORIDA
MINORITY-CI02) 225-3728
February 5, 1997
(TTY)-(202) 226-3118
VIA FACSIMILE: (202) 682-5617
Ms. Jane Alexander
Chairman
National Endowment for the Arts
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20506
Dear Ms. Alexander:
Thank you for your letter noting your concerns with the oversight activities currently
being carried out by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Subcommittee) of the
Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee).
First, let me begin by noting that I, too, was troubled by the quote in the Washington
Times which characterized the Committee's oversight of the National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA/Endowment) in terms of a "rogue gallery." In fact, after sceing the quote, I personally
reviewed the Subcommittee's oversight plan relating to the NEA, in addition to reviewing the
activities of the Subcommittee to date. While I continue to believe the quote was unfortunate
and untimely, I was rather troubled by some of the documents and videos I reviewed which,
according to the NEA's own documentation, appear to be funded, at least in part, by the
American taxpayer.
Second, the rules of the U.S. House of Representative's require that, to the extent
possible, every major program under the Committee's jurisdiction be reviewed every 10 years.
The Endowment, however, has not been the subject of any significant House oversight in the past
15 years. As the Chairman of the Committee with primary jurisdiction UVCT the NEA, it is my
responsibility to ensure, in accordance with the House rules, that appropriate oversight of the
NEA is performed.
With that said, let me assure you that this Subcommittee has always performed
systematic and thorough reviews of the Departments and agencies under its jurisdiction. The
primary objectives of this oversight, as outlined in the Committee's oversight plan, is to ensure
that the programs under its jurisdiction:
10.07 NO. 005 P.02
1) serve an appropriate federal role;
2) operate in an effective and efficient manner: and
3) act in accordance with Congressional intent.
The Subcommittee has undertaken an effort to explore each of these three areas. In fact, I
have personally reviewed the Subcommittee's efforts, and am impressed with its thorough,
objective and systematic approach. 1 am confident that the Subcommittee's oversight of the
NEA, under the watchful direction of Chairman Hockstra, will continue to meet these same high
standards.
Finally, let me emphasize that the oversight activities of this Committee will reach well
beyond a review of the types of art being funded by the NEA. Indeed, the oversight plan, when
fully implemented, will examine the Endowment's management structure, grant-making process,
internal policies and procedures, response to recommendations of the Inspector General, usc of
funds, costs, accounting standards. economic impact and general opcrations. This review will
encompass your tenure, and will be sensitive to both the internal and Congressionally mandated
reforms made during this period. Upon conclusion of the Subcommittee's oversight activities, I
am confident that we will both have a greater understanding of the NEA. This understanding
will guide the Committee in its legislative and oversight responsibilities relating to the NEA.
In closing, I look forward to reviewing the NEA materials related to the Subcommittee's
request regarding Women Make Movies, Inc. I appreciate your past and continued cooperation in
the Committee's oversight activities. Should you wish to discuss this personally, 1 am more than
willing to meet with you at your earliest convenicnce.
Sincerely,
Bill
BILL GOODLING
Chairman
PS I am curious to know whether you have ever watched Watermelon Woman or Sex Is... (which
was funded before your tenurc)? I would think we can both agree that no taxpayer funds should
have been used to support either of these films.
WFG/dam
cc: Rep. Pete Hoekstra
Rep. Bill Clay
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20506-000}
202/682-5400
February 3, 1997
Office of the Chairman
Dear Representative:
In recent months the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Investigations
and Oversight Subcommittee has requested hundreds of files on grants made by the
National Endowment for the Arts since 1994. We have responded to the Subcommittee's
request, and are continuing to do so, devoting weeks to the task despite our very limited
staff resources.
Recently, a few of your colleagues circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter which included the
text of a Washington Times editorial criticizing the Endowment. The editorial focused on
several grant files that had been provided to the Subcommittee, and which related to
seasonal operating support grants, and grants to individual artists, both of which the
agency is no longer permitted to make. Unfortunately, the editorial completely
disregarded the fact that we no longer make these grants.
In this respect, I believe it is important for you to be aware of the many management
changes that I have made since becoming chairman. Beginning early in my chairmanship,
I instituted a number of long-needed reforms in the grant review and monitoring
processes, including elimination of the practice in which organizations were permitted to
subgrant to third party entities. Later, in the face of drastic budget reductions and staff
lay-offs, I moved forward with the first real reorganization of the agency since its
founding in 1965. Congress enacted a number of restrictions as well, eliminating nearly
all grants to individuals, and ensuring that all grants to arts organizations go for
specifically defined projects rather than for seasonal operating support.
Enclosed is a fact sheet and a summary of the major changes made at the agency in the
context of my three-and-one-half year chairmanship. I hope you find these materials
informative. If I may provide you any additional information about this matter, please do
not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Jane Alexander
Chairman
Enclosures
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
CHRONOLOGY OF CHANGE 1993-1997
House and Senate conferees report 39
percent NEA budgett cut for FY 96.
Clinton Administration
Jane Alexander sworn
Chairman eliminates
Conference report codifies earlier NEA
petitions for rehearing of
in as Chairman.
long-established
decision to eliminate subgrants, and imposes
decision handed down by 3-
Government shuts down.
practice of
further restrictions-eliminates nearly all
judge panel of Ninth Circuit
Grantee reporting
subgranting in nearly
grants to individual artists, and abolishes the
Court of Appeals that
tightened. Final grant
every category.
long-established practice of awarding arts
"decency and respect"
payment made
organizations seasonal operating support.
provision in NEA statute is
Conference report is subsequently rejected by
unconstitutional.
contingent upon NEA
receipt and approval
the House.
of interim progress
reports.
Chairman announces major structural
reorganization of NEA effective in January.
Individual discipline programs are eliminated
Congress finally passes FY
and replaced by four interdisciplinary funding
96 NEA appropriations
categories. Arts organizations are limited to
enacting 39 percent cut.
one application for assistance per year. State
Subgrant, seasonal support
and regional grants are consolidated into single
and grants to individuals
restrictions enacted.
partnership agreements. All applications
submitted in pipeline to be completed by
1993
1994
1995
February.
1996
Oct
Jan
May
Aug
Oct
Mar
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Mar
Apr
Nov/Dec
Dec
Chairman moves
NEA begins operating
Bill containing NEA
Chairman
to increase the
Anticipating
under the first of 13
appropriation and
initiates
effectiveness of
budget cuts,
continuing
NEA begins
National Council on the Arts
Congressional
comprehensive
the National
NEA
resolutions, producing
restrictions vetoed
receiving
approves and Chairman
review of
Council on the
seven months of
by President.
applications under
announces grants reviewed
management
Arts. New voting
begins
uncertainty about the
Chairman continues
the new
under new NEA structure.
agency grant
review and
system initiated
comprehensive
interdisciplinary
Council requests Chairman
budget. Chairman
to comply with
monitoring
allowing Council
examination of
announces massive
grant review
to evaluate staff-intensive
Congressional
procedures.
members to cast
NEA's structure
reduction-in-force.
restrictions despite
process.
review process and make
adjustments as necessary.
individual votes on
and operating
40 percent of agency
the veto. 40 percent
grant applications
systems.
staff to lose their jobs
of NEA staff laid off.
increasing candor
in December.
in the grant
review.
WOMEN MAKE MOVIES, INC.
FACT SHEET
Women Make Movies is a media arts organization which facilitates the production,
promotion, distribution and exhibition of independent films by and about women. It is the
largest organization of its kind in the United States, giving accomplished women
filmmakers national and international exposure.
In addition to support from the National Endowment, Women Make Movies receives
funding support from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Dept.
of Cultural Affairs, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Ford
Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation and others.
Women Make Movies has received five NEA grants in the past three years.
1) FY 1994 (seasonal support)
$14,700 to support the production and distribution of films and videotapes by and about
women.
2) FY 1995 (seasonal support)
$20,000 to support workshops, exhibitions and the production and distribution of films
and videotapes by and about women.
3) FY 1995 Watermelon Woman
$31,500 to Women Make Movies as a fiscal agent for production of a full length feature
film by Cheryl Dunye. The film is a fictional story about a lesbian filmmaker who
researches a little known African-American actress, Fae "Watermelon Woman" Richards,
who is a character from the films of the 1920's and 1930's. Dunye is well known as one
of several up and coming African-American women in the media arts; her work has been
shown nationally and internationally and has been included in exhibitions at the Museum
of Modern Art and the 1993 Whitney Museum of American Art's Biennial exhibition.
4) FY 1995 Murder and MURDER
$31,500 to Women Make Movies as a fiscal agent for production of a feature length film
by award-winning filmmaker Yvonne Rainer. The film is a semi-autobiographical account
of the 57-year-old lesbian filmmaker's ordeal after learning she has breast cancer,
exploring issues of female aging and society's obsession with beauty. Ms. Rainer is the
recipient of a number of prestigious awards, including the MacArthur "Genius" Award,
two Guggenheim fellowships, two Rockefeller fellowships and honorary doctorates from
the Massachusetts College of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, School of the Art
Institute of Chicago and California Institute of the Arts.
NOTE: Since enactment of the FY 1996 appropriations legislation (April 1996), NEA
is prohibited from awarding seasonal or operating support. All grants to
organizations are for project support.
5) FY 1996
$15,000 to support the production and distribution of films and videotapes by and about
women. The money has been used specifically to support a project to promote and
distribute films and videos about 1) Native American women (a series entitled Honoring
Our Voices) and 2) on women's health issues (Perspectives on Women's Health -- on
issues from breast cancer and menopause to mental illness and physical disabilities).
The Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations infers
that since NEA supported Women Make Movies, NEA is responsible for the
production and distribution of the more than 300 films contained in their catalog.
He further alleges that the films are "possibly pornographic."
According to Debra Zimmerman, executive director of Women Make Movies,
Chairman Hoekstra, "takes the work we do completely out of context. We are the
largest distributor of films by and about women in the United States. Our films are
viewed by thousands of educational institutions and shown in the most prestigious
museums."
February 1997
Congress of the United States
house of Representatives
Washington. BE 20515
Enough Is Enough.
January 7.7, 1797
Dear Colleague:
Taxpayers should no longer he forced to subsidize an organization that refuses to clean up
its act. IL's the 10 Jelund the National Endowment thr the ЛПЗ (NF.A)
Sincerely,
San Johnson)
Emet detach
Rep Sam Johnson
Rep. Emest Istook
John Dep. John Doolittle Doolitle
Dan Burton
Rep. Dan Burton
More hot sex from the arts endowment
W
Ad: U.e newal revelations abour grants hy the
DENT and Lives Unstions, said as much In a strong STX-
National Endowment mr ihe Arts (as report L
vary leaver to NEA chairman Jane Alexinder last
cd by this newspaper S Julis Duin last work).
week calimg 14A ratalog listings "d veritable LIX-
it's time 2 asia. USE auzia !LIET why it 10 that tax-
peep slww" and the nime themselves
payers lume to fund mater 30 resugnant m an many
"DMently ultenive and procribive Dornographie"
of them
The NEA has councred with the TERMAL nbtusca-
Women Make Movies (WMO, Miss Duin
tion and sophistry: Chesse Sium
ed, the New York vialen and Kin distributor that bills
insists that the agency sumply cliels DWY for the lier
ilsulf as The larger distributor of films my and about
ed filures that $15.000 Went B worthy projects m
women m the I insted States," has received $112.700
women's health and American Indian шошеп,
UIE wast three years from the NFA which gnt
$34,700 was used fur "uperational JUDDORT" and
11 straight mm of the parkets of us and
$63.000 paid for twn ritur film projects Nausanse
the group has resument mother $73,000 for 1997.
The one thing it We difference to the people
Nov, to judge try wime of the sptions offered in
unving the billc whether $15,000 and 54,00 of
the company's 1997 camlog. many
their harri-earned many was used Ulivatly w M
of those films by and about 210ml are works thatthe
als these unloyely "varte" or indirenty, hy treeing
vast majority of those taxpayers would bluch to CCC
un other WMM money to help produce Use ulTeusive
- let alone to cubstdize
The
Take, for instance, "Ten Cents a Dance." which
And what about trat other 363,000. by the wav?
includes "wo women owkwardly discuss(ing) their
Well, half weal lu the makers of a film on the subject
mmini attraction" and "ananymals balluvan DUE
of breaz The reat ($)1 ,SMI, to be precise) sub-
between two men." Or tow about "Sex Flan". which
marred a tilm called "Walmawska Woman" Wanch
Includes a "furious manage of nral $ as well as
undue Wuman" just happens to he film shout black
"mining restroom cruising? And what ure Mr. md
loobinns, and from happens to contain, sccurding to
Mr. America to make of "The - fun of trying in
one review nut printed in a family news-
fit a lestrian cnimie in A hathtub!" portrayed by
DEDET). "the bourer dykc MX P.VPS recorded on
"Coming Home"? Du linry really want to know as
cellulesd".
"Severneen Rooms" promises m explain in them -
How auy unember of the Congress could justify
"What lestians do in bed"? Could they vussibly
overaling nn the NEA when it absulute
Gud may value in the "diverce CIVIL secuon of the Icv-
ly maists on furling this kiod uf carbage is a mys
bton sado menochistic comminio" contained iss
turv - but here WD are In fact, Mr. linekette tried
"1,lland Sisters'? or course Unry wuldo't- аду more
and (niled LAST SUBTET to get his to Judue
than they would in explich
the $31,500 wsubsidize Watermation Warnan-
nhy. And they should nnt be asked (or ratime, liveral,
from: the NEAD budget
since they never have actually been asland) to DJY for
Enough is enough I R. my cut the cord and allow
it.
the public lu coido fur itall- the basis of heall-
Michigan (Republican liep. Peter Hoskstra.
IK vision and talcot taber than snohr 3b trendiness
chairman of Use House Ecunionic and Educational
what kinn nt Art and which at Usls il wishes w cup
Opportunides Committee subcammittee. in over
port It's time lu dufund NEA
1.21.97 Washington Times
PAGE A2 / THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1996
The Washington Tim
NEA makes grants
as fight for life nears
Agency conducts 'business as usual'
left causes and, in at least one
By Julia Duin
case, outright misrepresentation."
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
In "One Nation Under God," he
ecorated in red and green
said, "one man had his comments
D
ink, a sign advertising a
edited to make them say exactly
holiday party for Na-
the opposite of his intent. They
tional Endowment for
shouldn't be rewarded with tax-
the Arts staffers hung by the ele-
payer dollars if they can't meet
vator to NEA offices this week in
minimal standards of fairness and
the Old Post Office Pavilion.
accuracy."
The blurb, promising "turkey,
"POV" which has won. several
trimming and good cheer." was a
awards, is "excellent program-
Jane Alexander
reminder that, if some Republi-
ming," NEA spokeswoman Cherie
cans have their way, this could be
Simon said. "They've done an
the last year the NEA celebrates
enormous amount of superb
ies fellow at the Capitol Research
Christmas. Congress' majority
broadcasting," she said, such as
Center, who called the grant pack-
party has promised to defund the
"Silverlake Life," about two men
age politically correct pork bar-
arts agency next year.
who died of AIDS, and documen-
rel of patronage."
NEA Chairman Jane Alexander
taries about Alzheimer's victims
"This is business as usual for
plans to start lobbying Capitol Hill
and Vietnam Veterans Memorial
the NEA They've drawn their line
in January, the NEA says, search-
designer Maya Lin.
in the sand, they are showing the
ing out legislators favorable to her
For the first time since the NEA
Republicans who's more powerful.
agency.
was reorganized last year, "im-
and they're not backing down," he
The NEA announced a batch of
pact" was one of the criteria -
said.
grants this week for 1997 and 1998,
along with artistic excellence -
This $16.9 million batch of
most of which are going to non-
used in awarding grants. This
grants attracted 887 applicants,
controversial groups producing
change may have helped a youth-
from which 293 groups were se
everything from ballet to basket
outreach program at the Woolly
lected It is the finds of two rounds
weaving. A few landed in red-flag
Mammoth Theatre Company, an
of grants totaling $82.5 million
areas, such as a $400,000 grant for
experimental, avant-garde theater
The largest grant, for $1 mil-
"Point of View," a Public Broad-
in Washington, get a $20,000 grant.
lion, went to WNET-TV in New
casting Service series.
Mr. Knight criticized the grant,
York, a public station, for its
"POV," which has received NEA
saying, "Woolly Mammoth is gay
"Great Performances," "Dance in
funding since 1988, has not lived
theater central," because of an ap-
America" and "American Mas-
down the furor it created in 1991
pearance there by homosexual ac-
ters" series.
when it aired "Tongues Untied," a
tivist Tim Miller last year in the
Republicans acknowledge
graphic film about the sexlives of
show "Naked Breath," in which Mr.
there may be a pitched battle over
homosexual black men.
Miller bared his genitals twice.
NEA funding next summer, when
The series planned to air "Stop
A $25,000 grant went to Camera
Congress debates appropriations
the Church," a film made by a
News Inc., which also does busi-
for fiscal 1998. Republicans will
member of ACT UP about AIDS
ness as Third World Newsreel, a
hold a nine-vote majority in the
activists protesting the Roman
New York distributor of films es-
House, but not all of them are anti-
Catholic Church, until the
pousing minority, anti-war or po-
NEA, and not all Democrats sup-
"Tongues Untied" furor.
litically left causes. The grant was
port the arts agency.
Last year, the series showed
to support a training workshop for
Like Miss Alexander. the sub-
"One Nation Under God," which
young artists, launch a World Wide
committee on oversight and inves-
attacked a support group for ex-
Web site and publish a 30th-
tigations of the House Economic
homosexuals called Exodus Inter-
anniversary catalog.
and Educational Opportunities
national and like-minded thera-
Other grants included $200,000
Committee, which oversees the
pists.
for a new classical program on Na-
NEA, is preparing for a showdown.
"They produce explicitly anti-
tional Public Radio and $40,000 for
Staffers are assembling a
Christian works," said Robert
"Fresh Air With Terry Gross," an
"rogue's gallery" of unpopular
Knight, director of cultural stud-
NPR-funded program based in
NEA grant recipients, said Jon
ies for the Family Research Coun-
Philadelphia.
Brandt, a spokesman for subcom-
cil. 'POV's track record is one of
"That's NPR's left-wing show,"
mittee Chairman Peter Hoekstra,
periodic propaganda for liberal-
said Larry Jarvik, a cultural stud-
Michigan Republican.
The Washington Times
* SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1997 / PAGE A3
GOP lawmaker hits NEA
for funding lesbian 'peep show'
By Julia Duin
$112,700 over the past three years,
couple in a bathtub!"
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
also subsidized the production and
"Seventeen Rooms" purports
distribution of "patently offensive
to answer the question "What do
A Michigan congressman has
and possibly pornographic movies
lesbians do in bed?"
turned up the heat on the National
- several of which appear to deal
"BloodSisters," reveals a "di-
Endowment for the Arts, castigat-
with the sexuality of children," Mr.
verse cross-section of the lesbian
ing it for giving more than
Hoekstra wrote.
[sado-masochistic] community."
$100,000 to a New York video and
Among 400 movies listed in the
Three other films that center
film distributor that offers explicit
catalog:
on the sexual or lesbian experi-
lesbian-themed movies.
"Ten Cents a Dance," a three-
ences of girls age 12 and under.
In a withering six-page letter to
vignette video in which "two
The congressman called these
NEA Chairman Jane Alexander
women awkwardly discuss their
descriptions "appalling" and re-
dated Jan. 16, Rep. Peter Hoek-
mutual attraction." It "depicts
quested copies of each film along
stra, a Republican, blasted 15 mov-
anonymous bathroom sexbetween
with information on whether the
ies distributed by Women Make
two men" and includes "an ironic
NEA funded their production.
Movies Inc. (WMM). The contents
episode of heterosexual phone
He won't get them, according to
of the movies are graphically de-
sex."
NEA spokeswoman Cherie Simon.
scribedin the company's 1997 25th
"Sex Fish" portrays a "furious
"We didn't fund them so we don't
anniversary catalog.
montage of oral sex, public rest-
have them," she said. Of the
"These listings have the appear-
room cruising and - well - tropi-
$112,700. she said, $34,700 went
ance of a veritable taxpayer-
cal fish," the catalog says.
for "operational support" in 1994
funded peep show," he wrote. The
"Coming Home" talks of "the
and 1995 and $63,000 went for two
distributor, to which the NEA gave
sexy fun of trying to fit a lesbian
other projects.
One of the projects was a movie
films are viewed by thousands of
oversight and investigations,
on breast cancer and the other was
educational institutions and
which reports to the House Eco-
"Watermelon Woman," an explicit
shown in the most prestigious mu-
nomic and Educational Opportuni-
movie about black lesbians. Last
seums."
ties Committee. The latter must
summer, the congressman unsuc-
Mr. Hoekstra's office says that
decide this spring whether the
cessfully proposed subtracting
still begs the question of whether
NEA will continue to exist. Repub-
$31,500 - the amount the movie
$112,700 given to the distributor
licans have vowed to defund the
received from the NEA - from
directly or indirectly subsidized
NEA as of the 1998 fiscal year.
NEA's 1997 budget.
pornographic films.
Miss Alexander wrote the con-
As for the remaining $15,000,
The debate over whether oper-
gressman Dec. 19, saying she was
that money helped distribute 15
ations funds do indeed fund spe-
concerned about the wording in a
films on women's health and 16
cific controversial art dates back
Dec. 19 article in The Washington
films on American Indian women,
to 1990, when it was revealed that
Times that stated the subcommit-
said Debra Zimmerman, execu-
$67,000 in general operations
tee was assembling a "rogues gal-
tive director of Women Make Mov-
money for the Kitchen Theatre in
lery" of unpopular NEA fund re-
ies.
New York subsidized 12 perform-
cipients.
Mr. Hoekstra "takes the work
ances by actress Annie Sprinkle,
The NEA has yet to announce its
we do completely out of context."
who simulated sex acts onstage.
grant recipients for the rest of fis-
Miss Zimmerman said. "There's
Mr. Hoekstra cited Miss Sprin-
cal 1997. WMM has applied for a
no film in there that explores child
kle in his letter, noting that one
$75,000 grant to upgrade its com-
pornography. We are the largest
could view her acts on a video of-
puter systems, do more marketing
distributor of films by and about
fered by the distributor.
and promotion, and pay for a
women in the United States. Our
He heads the subcommittee on
World Wide Web site.
PAGE A18 / TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1997 *
The Washington Times
More hot sex from the arts endowment
W
7ith the newest revelations about grants by the
sight and investigations, said as much in a strong six-
National Endowment for the Arts (as report-
page letter to NEA chairman Jane Alexander last
ed by this newspaper's Julia Duin last week),
week, calling the catalog listings "a veritable tax-
it's time to ask, once again, just why it is that tax-
payer-funded peep show" and the films themselves
payers have to fund material so repugnant to so many
"patently offensive and possibly pornographic."
of them.
The NEA has countered with the usual obfusca-
Women Make Movies (WMM), Miss Duin report-
tion and sophistry: Spokeswoman Cherie Simon
ed, the New York video and film distributor that bills
insists that the agency simply didn't pay for the list-
itself as "the largest distributor of films by and about
ed films - that $15,000 went to worthy projects on
women in the United States," has received $112,700
women's health and American Indian women,
over the past three years from the NEA - which got
$34,700 was used for "operational support" and
it straight out of the pockets of U.S. taxpayers; and
$63,000 paid for two other film projects. Nonsense.
the group has requested another $75,000 for 1997.
For one thing, it makes little difference to the people
Now, to judge by some of the descriptions offered in
paying the bills whether $15,000 and $34,700 of
the company's 25th-anniversary 1997 catalog, many
their hard-earned money was used directly to cre-
of those films by and about women are works that the
ate these uniovely "works" or indirectly, by freeing
vast majority of those taxpayers would blush to see
up other WMM money to help produce the offensive
- let alone to subsidize.
filins.
Take, for instance, "Ten Cents a Dance," which
And what about that other $63,000, by the way?
includes "two women awkwardly discuss[ing] their
Well, half went to the makers of a film on the subject
mutua! attraction" and "anonymous bathroom sex
of breast cancer. The rest ($31,500, to be precise) sub-
between two men." Or how about "Sex Fish", which
sidized a film called "Watermelon Woman." "Water-
includes a "furious montage of oral sex," as well as
melon Woman" just happens to be a film about black
"public rest-room cruising"? And what are Mr. and
lesbians, and just happens to contain, according to
Mrs. America to make of "the sexy fun of trying to
one review (obviously not printed in a family news-
fit a lesbian couple in a bathtub!" portrayed by
paper), "the hottest dyke sex scene ever recorded on
"Coming Home"? Do they really want to know -as
celluloid".
"Seventeen Rooms" promises to explain to them -
How any member of the Congress could justify
"What
lesbians do in bed"? Could they possibly
spending public money on the NEA when it absolute-
find any value in the "diverse cross-section of the les-
ly insists on funding this kind of garbage is a mys-
bian sado-masochistic community" contained in
tery - but here we are. In fact, Mr. Hoekstra tried
"Blood Sisters"? Of course they couldn't - any more
and failed last summer to get his colleagues to deduct
than they would in explicit heterosexual pornogra-
the $31,500 used to subsidize "Watermelon Woman"
phy. And they should not be asked (or rather, forced,
from the NEA's budget.
since they never have actually been asked) to pay for
Enough is enough. Let us cut the cord and allow
it.
the public to decide for itself - on the basis of beau-
Michigan Republican Rep. Peter Hoekstra,
ty, vision and talent rather than snobbish trendiness
chairman of the House Economic and Educational
- what kind of art and which artists it wishes to sup-
Opportunities Committee subcommittee on over-
port. It's time to defund NEA.
MAJORITY MEMBERS:
MINORITY MEMBERS:
WILLIAM F. GOODLING, PENNSYLVANIA,
WILLIAM L CLAY, MISSOURI
Chairman
Renting Member
THOMAS E. PETRI, WISCONSIN
GEORGE MILLER. CALIFORNIA
MARGE ROUKEMA, NEW JERSEY
DALE E KADEE MICHIGAN
HARRIS W. FAWELL ILLINOIS
MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ CALIFORNIA
CASS BALLENGER, NORTH CAROLINA
MAJOR R. OWENS, NEW YORK
BILL E. BARRETT, NEBRASKA
DONALD M. PAYNE, NEW JERSEY
PETER HOEKSTRA, MICHIGAN
PATSY T. MINK, HAWAII
HOWARD P. "BUCK" McKEON, CALIFORNIA
ROBERT E. ANDREWS. NEW JERSEY
MIKE N. CASTLE DELAWARE
SAM JOHNSON, TEXAS
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
TIM ROEMER, INDIANA
ROBERT C. 'BOBBY' SCOTT, VIRGINIA
JIM TALENT. MISSOURI
LYNN C. WOOLSEY. CALIFORNIA
JAMES C. GREENWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA
AND THE WORKFORCE
CARLOS A ROMERO-BARCELO, PUERTO RICO
JOSEPH K. KNOLLENBERG. MICHIGAN
CHAKA FATTAH. PENNSYLVANIA
FRANK D. RIGGS, CALIFORNIA
EARL BLUMENAUER. OREGON
LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
RUBEN HINOJOSA, TEXAS
MARK SOUDER. INDIANA
CAROLYN McCARTHY, NEW YORK
2181 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
DAVID McINTOSH, INDIANA
JOHN TIERNEY, MASSACHUSETTS
CHARLIE NORWOOD. GEORGIA
RON PAUL, TEXAS
WASHINGTON, DC 20515-6100
RON KIND. WISCONSIN
LORETTA SANCHEZ, CALIFORNIA
JOHN PETERSON, PENNSYLVANIA
HAROLD FORD, JR., TENNESSEE
BOB SCHAFFER, COLORADO
MAJORITY-(202) 225-4527
(177) (2) 226-3372
MINORITY-(202) 225-3725
(177)-(202) 226-3116
January 16, 1997
VIA FACSIMILE: (202) 682-5617
Ms. Jane Alexander
Chairman
National Endowment for the Arts
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20506
Dear Ms. Alexander:
In response to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation's (Subcommittee)
November 20, 1996, letter to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA/Endowment), you
provided the information we requested concerning Women Make Movies, Inc., an NEA grantee.
According to this documentation, Women Make Movies, Inc. has received $112,700 in taxpayer
money over the past three years. The Subcommittee's preliminary investigation of this grantee
raises the serious possibility that taxpayer money is being used to fund the production and
distribution of patently offensive and possibly pornographic movies - several of which appear to
deal with the sexuality of children.
Federal Funding of Women Make Movies, Inc.
According to the documentation you provided, Women Make Movies, Inc. has received
NEA funding for the past three years. In each of these years, Women Make Movies, Inc. sought
and received taxpayer funds from the NEA
"[t]o support the production and distribution of films and videotapes by and about
women..." (Grant notification sent to Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director, Women
Make Movies, Inc., from Jane Alexander, Chairman, NEA, Grant Number 96-3421-0014,
start date, Jan. 1, 1996)
Similar language is included in the grant notifications sent to Women Make Movies, Inc., in 1994
and 1995 (NEA Grant Numbers 94-3421-0061 and 95-3421-0036).
In addition to its video and film distribution service, Women Make Movies, Inc., received
funding in 1995 for the production of two films, "Watermelon Woman," "MURDER and
Murder" (NEA Grant Numbers 95-3411-0145 and 95-3411-0135).
Questionable Videos Distributed by Women Make Movies, Inc.
Based on the above information, the Subcommittee obtained Women Make Movies, Inc. 's
1997 25th Anniversary Film and Video Catalogue (WMMC/Catalogue) This catalogue lists and
describes the films distributed by Women Make Movies, Inc. The Subcommittee's initial review
of the films described in this Catalogue raises very serious concerns about the type of "art" that is
being distributed through the use of taxpayer funds.
The following are excerpts from the descriptions of several of the videos listed in this
Catalogue. For your benefit, we have included the name of the video in question, a brief
description of the video taken directly from the Catalogue and a cite to the specific page on
which the video is advertised and described.
(a) Ten Cents a Dance - "In the first segment, two women awkwardly discuss their
mutual attraction; the second depicts anonymous bathroom sex between two men; the
third is an ironic episode of heterosexual phone sex." (WMMC, pg. 25)
(b) Sex Fish/Sex Bowl - "Sex Fish is a furious montage of oral sex, public rest room
cruising and - well - tropical fish. Sex Bowl takes us on a roll down the bowling alley that
simply doesn't stop gathering momentum." (WMMC, pg. 29)
(c) Fingers & Kisses/Coming Home - "Heading down to Japan, Fingers & Kisses shows
exactly where girls plant those fingers and kisses. And finally, Coming Home to the sexy
fun of trying to fit a lesbian couple in a bathtub!" (WMMC, pg. 29)
(d) Seventeen Rooms - "A hilarious answer to the question: What do lesbians do in bed."
(WMMC, pg. 88)
(e) The Films of Barbara Hammer - "Four classic celebrations of the female body and
spirit. Dyketactics, a celebration of lesbian sensuality and sexuality. Double, an
experimental, poetic and passionate study of a lesbian relationship between two trapeze
artists. Women I Love, the filmmaker combines footage shot over a five year period in a
collective portrayal of four of her lovers. Sync Touch, lesbian images are juxtaposed with
common clichés, providing an ironic and humorous inquiry into the nature of lesbian
aesthetic." (WMMC, pg. 88)
(f) Seven Women - Seven Sins - "What constitutes a deadly sin in this day and age, and
how do you approach such a subject? Seven of the world's best known women directors
produce their own version of celluloid sin in this omnibus film." (WMMC, pg. 80)
2
(g) Shinjuku Boys - "From the makers of Dream Girls, Shinjuku Boys introduces three
annabes who work as hosts at the New Marilyn Club in Tokyo. Annabes are women who
live as men and have girlfriends, although they don't usually identify as lesbians."
"Alternating with these illuminating interview are fabulous sequences shot inside the
Club, patronized almost exclusively by heterosexual women who have become
disappointed with real men." (WMMC, pg. 25)
(h) Unbound - "Unbound is a docudrama in which sixteen women of differing
nationalities, races and ideologies free themselves from societal definitions, stereotypes -
and the prison of the bra." The picture accompanying this advertisement is a women
cupping her bare breasts. (WMMC, pg. 22)
(i) Sin City Diary - "Sin City Diary is a powerful videotape which explores the lives of
women who work as prostitutes around the U.S. Navy base at Subic Bay in the
Philippines." (WMMC, pg. 48)
(j) Stigmata - "Stigmata is a riveting look at body modification such as tattooing, cutting,
piercing and branding, practices which are becoming increasingly popular amongst
women." "Stigmata explores concepts of beauty, self-determination and the outer limits
of female sexuality. Please note that Stigmata includes some extremely explicit footage."
(WMMC, pg. 23)
(k) BloodSisters - " BloodSisters centers on a diverse cross-section of the lesbian S&M
community "The unblinking close-up of their traditions and lifestyle, which embrace
political activism and community service as well as the commitment to sexual pleasure
heightened by pain, highlights the complexity, variety and contradictions of a subculture
within a subculture." (WMMC, pg. 26)
I do not believe the above videos, as described, are the type of "art" Congress intended to
fund through the NEA. In fact, these listings have the appearance of a veritable "taxpayer-
funded peep show."
Women Make Movies, Inc.: Videos Dealing with the Sexuality of Children
The descriptions and reviews of the following three videos distributed by Women Make
Movies, Inc. (and funded by the NEA) are particularly bothersome considering that their subject
matters appears to deal with the sexual activities, thoughts and/or actions of children:
(1) The Match That Started My Fire - "An exciting experimental comedy in which the joy
of sexual pleasure is discovered and experienced by women in their childhood and early
teens. Climbing a rope, descending a slide, being stung by insects The film is a visual
montage of images that evoke a world of 1960s kitsch and nostalgia, with occasional
darker hints of taboo and transgression." (WMMC, pg. 82)
(m) Age 12; Love with a Little L - Unforgettable in its vivid construction of lesbian
3
identity, Age 12 is a riveting amalgam of forbidden desire, transgression and piercing
self-recognition." The sidebar review of this film notes that Age 12 is "playful, aggressive
and unashamedly erotic." (WMMC, pg. 25)
(n) Hide and Seek - "Su Friedrich's brilliant new film, Hide and Seek, mixes documentary
and fiction to create a fascinating portrait of lesbian childhood. Revealing the imaginary
universe of young lesbians, it's about being at an age when sexual feelings are still vague.
The fictional narrative tells the story of Lou: a twelve year old girl living in Brooklyn in
the mid 1960's, coming to terms with her burgeoning sexuality." (WMMC, pg. 35)
Video of Annie Sprinkle and Other "Defunded" Performance Artists
Ms. Alexander, you and your staff have made broad statements about the current
restrictions and reforms instituted at the Endowment. In particular, you have noted that many of
the more objectionable artists, formerly funded either directly or indirectly through the NEA,
would not be eligible for funding today. Specifically, the Endowment's claim that the elimination
of grants to individuals has ended the funding of objectionable performance artists such as Annie
Sprinkle, who is best known for her ability to urinate on stage, is meaningless. This is due to the
fact that a video copy of Annie Sprinkle and other performance artists is available to the public
through the taxpayer funded Women Make Movies, Inc. The following description is again taken
from Women Make Movies, Inc. 's own Catalogue:
(o) Sphinxes Without Secrets - "Since its inception, performance art provided a forum for
those artists whose work challenges the dominant aesthetic and cultural status quo. In
Sphinxes Without Secrets, performers, curators and critics unravel the mysteries of
performance art and ponder the world women confront today. Performers featured in this
stylish program include Diamanda Galas, Holly Hughes (one of the 'NEA Four'), Robbie
McCauley and Rachel Rosenthal; intercut with appearances by many others such as
Laurie Anderson, Annie Sprinkle and Reno." (WMMC, pg. 77)
Recent Video's Produced by Women Make Movies, Inc.
On June 14, 1996, the Subcommittee requested a copy of the film "Watermelon Women"
after reading a review of this film which stated that "Watermelon Woman" had "the hottest dyke
sex scene ever recorded on celluloid." As noted above, this is one of the two films whose
production was underwritten, in part, by Women Make Movies, Inc. through an NEA grant. My
staff and I reviewed this film and found that it portrays graphic sex images, is strewn with
graphic and degrading sexual language, and portrays the use of illegal drugs as a normal
recreational activity. I can only say that I was shocked that taxpayer money had been used to
support the production of this film.
The other movie underwritten by Women Make Movies, Inc. and the NEA in the last three
years is an "experimental" film by Yvonne Rainer entitled "MURDER and Murder." While I
4
have not seen the film, Ms. Rainer's own description of the film, taken from her grant request,
states that
"MURDER and Murder' deals with 'deviant' sexuality, aging and cancer, and unholy
grouping that will inevitably create, if only subtextually, a convergence of social
(mis)perceptions and medical definitions of cancer. It is a primary mission of the script
to both set in motion and challenge such perceptions and definitions. (Section V of
Women Make Movies, Inc. 's Project Grant Application Form dated as received by the
NEA on Oct. 27, 1994).
Request for Further Information
The above descriptions of the videos made available through taxpayer funds is, at first
blush, quite appalling. As Chairman-designee of the Subcommittee charged with oversight of
the NEA, and in accordance with Rules X and XI of the U.S. House of Representatives, please
provide two copies of the following information by close of business, Thursday, January 30,
1997:
1.
A video copy of each of the above mentioned films and videos (marked "a" through "o"
above), distributed by Women Make Movies, Inc. For each video, indicate:
a)
whether or not any other NEA funds were used, either directly or indirectly, for
any other aspects of their production and/or distribution. If NEA funds were
provided,
i)
identify the grant amounts and provide a copy of the grant applications
submitted by the parties, including any supplemental materials, appendices
and third party references made in support of such grants, and
ii)
include a copy of any material produced in the NEA's grant review
process for these grantees and a copy of the NEA's notification of final
approval.
2.
Provide a list of any and all other NEA grantees that have received NEA funding over
the past three years for the distribution of film, video or other recorded media. For each
such grantee
a)
indicate other NEA funding provided to the grantee for any other purposes, and
for each grant provide
i)
the grant amounts and a copy of the grant applications submitted by the
parties, including any supplemental materials, appendices and third party
references made in support of such grants, and
5
ii)
a copy of any material produced in the NEA's grant review process for
these grantees and a copy of the NEA's notification of final approval.
iii)
a catalogue or other listing of the films, videos or media made available by
grantee.
Request that the NEA Review Its Funding of Women Make Movies, Inc.
As I am sure you will agree, the above information is very troubling. And while you
have recently sent letters to Mr. Goodling, the Committee's Chairman, and members of the
Subcommittee concerning the reforms instituted by the NEA to prevent the funding of
objectionable art, Women Make Movies, Inc., appears to be a "loophole" in your supposed
reforms. Specifically, in the letters you mailed to Mr. Goodling and my fellow Subcommittee
members you state that you alone have final grant approval authority, and thus, "the buck stops
with you." With this in mind, and despite your past support for Women Make Movies, Inc., I am
requesting that you immediately conduct an intensive review of this grantee and its production
and distribution of the films described in their Catalogue. Upon completion of this review, I
would request that you make your findings available to the Subcommittee in a timely fashion.
Thank you in advance for your continued assistance in this very serious matter. Should
you have any questions concerning this request please contact Derrick Max at 202/225-7101.
Sincerely,
Hochet
RETE HOEKSTRA
Chairman-designee,
Subcommittee on Oversight
and Investigations
cc:
Chairman Bill Goodling, Committee on Education and the Workforce
Rep. William Clay, Ranking Member, Committee on Education and the Workforce
Rep. Frank Riggs
Rep. Ralph Regula
Mr. Richard Woodruff, Director Congressional Liaison, NEA
6
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The Nancy Hanks Center
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20506-0001
202/682-5400
December 19, 1996
Office of the Chairman
The Honorable William F. Goodling
Chairman, Committee on Economic
and Educational Opportunities
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
As Chairman of the House panel which is charged with overseeing the National
Endowment for the Arts, you know that the question of continuing Federal support for the
arts will be intensely debated in the months ahead.
Given that certainty, and especially in view of the recent request for information we
received from the Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Mr.
Hoekstra, I want to share with you the many changes I have made as Chairman of the
National Endowment over the past three years, and ones that Congress has imposed as
well. You may be aware that the Subcommittee asked us to provide complete copies of
nearly 200 files for 92 grants made to 27 artists and arts institutions over the past three
years. We are in the process of providing that material at this time.
While it is not my practice to prejudge intent, I am concerned that these documents will
be used out of context in such a way as to embarrass the Endowment and its supporters
during this critical time. My concern was reinforced by a December 19 Washington
Times news article which stated:
Staffers are assembling a "rogue's gallery" of unpopular NEA grant
recipients, said Jon Brandt, a spokesman for subcommittee Chairman Peter
Hoekstra, Michigan Republican.
The fact is, the Endowment today is a far different agency from the one I took over as
Chairman three years ago. In 1996, I completely restructured the agency replacing 19
separate arts discipline-based programs with four interdisciplinary divisions. I established
interdisciplinary review panels to broaden the reach of NEA supported projects and to
better connect the arts with the American public. In addition, I instituted a number of
long-needed process reforms. We tightened grantee reporting requirements, and now
require interim reports before full funding is given. We abolished the long-established
practice of allowing grant recipients to subgrant to third-party arts entities because I did
not believe it was appropriate to continue supporting projects that by-passed the
Endowment's review process.
Page 2.
Congress imposed additional changes as well. In 1996, Congress abolished grants to
nearly all individual artists, and terminated the practice of giving arts institutions seasonal
operating support. We now support only specific projects that are described up-front in
the application process. Every grant application today is subjected to a highly competitive
three-step review beginning with a diverse panel of citizens, continuing through the 26
member National Council on the Arts, and ends with my approval or rejection. The buck
stops on my desk.
I am concerned that the Oversight Subcommittee may be more interested in revisiting old
controversies than pursuing constructive solutions. The panel asked for old files on 13
individual artists, despite the fact that we don't fund individual artists anymore. Sixteen
of the grants are seasonal support grants, despite the fact that we don't make those
anymore either. Some of the files had already been provided to the Subcommittee
pursuant to past requests, yet are being requested again. In all, we are being asked to
find, copy and provide over 5,000 pages of material, which is not a simple matter given
that half the NEA staff was laid-off less than a year ago, and their files archived.
When I appeared before the Senator Labor and Human Resources Committee in my
confirmation hearing three years ago, I said:
I cannot promise that under my chairmanship the arts will be free of
controversy. The very essence of art, after all, is to hold the mirror up tc
nature; the arts reflect the diversity and variety of human experience. We
are, as Hamlet says, "the abstracts and brief chroniclers of the time," and as
such, the artist often taps into the very issues of society that are most
sensitive.
I can, however, assure Congress that I will follow the statutory guidelines
on funding to the very best of my ability to ensure that grants are given for
the highest degree of artistic merit and excellence. I will be accountable,
and I look forward to working with members of Congress.
Controversy cannot be wrung from the arts - nor should it be. Look at the controversy
that the design for the Vietnam War Memorial inspired fifteen years ago, and compare
that to how people feel about the Memorial today.
The Endowment's mission over the past 31 years has been to support the most excellent
art for the broadest range of Americans. We have made over 110,000 grants for arts
education, children's festivals, literary programs, orchestras, museums, theaters, dance
companies, and brought art to communities that didn't have it before.
Page 3.
Federal support is important to hundreds of arts institutions throughout the country. I
hope I can count on your support during the months ahead.
Sincerely,
Jane Alexander
Chairman
AJORITY MEMBERS:
MINORITY MEMBERS:
PETE HOEKSTRA, MICHIGAN,
CHAIRMAN
THOMAS C. SAWYER, OHIO,
RANKING MEMBER
BILL BARRETT, NEBRASKA
CASS BALLENGER, NORTH CAROLINA
MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA
RANDY "DUKE" CUNNINGHAM, CALIFORNIA
JACK REED, RHODE ISLAND
HOWARD P. "BUCK" McKEON, CALIFORNIA
TIM ROEMER, INDIANA
MICHAEL N. CASTLE, DELAWARE
ROBERT C. "BOBBY" SCOTT, VIRGINIA
DAVE WELDON, FLORIDA
GENE GREEN, TEXAS
WILLIAM F. GOODLING, PENNSYLVANIA
MEL REYNOLDS, ILLINOIS
HARRIS W. FAWELL, ILLINOIS
COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC
MAJORITY (202) 225-4527
MINORITY -(202) 225-3725
AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT
AND INVESTIGATIONS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2181 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20515-6100
November 20, 1996
Ms. Jane Alexander, Chair
National Endowment for the Arts
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20506-0001
Dear Ms. Alexander:
The Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities is charged with
insuring the effective and efficient operations of the National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA), that the activities of the NEA comply with all applicable laws, and that such
activities are in accordance with the intent of Congress. The Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations, in accordance with rules X and XI of the U.S. House of
Representatives, would like two copies of the requested information for the following
NEA-funded individuals and entities by December 4, 1996:
1. William Pope.L
2. Phoenix Art Museum
3. Whitney Museum of American Art
4. DIA Center for the Arts, Inc.
5. Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc.
6. Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art
7. Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
8. Highways Performance Space
9. North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
10. Women Make Movies, Inc.
11. Cheryl Dunye ("Watermelon Woman" video)
12. The Woolly Mammoth Theater Company
13. Stephanie Black
14. Carol Cassidy
15. Joel Katz
16. Ken Jacobs
17. Kathy High
18. Lewis D. Klahr
19. Lodge Kerrigan
20. Frederick Marx
21. Stanley Nelson
22. New York Foundation for the Arts ("An American Love Story")
23. Edward A. Radtke
24. Upstate Films, Ltd.
25. Leslie Thornton
26. 911 Media Arts Center
27. Brava! for Women in the Arts
For each of the above, please provide the following information for the last
three fiscal years (1994 through 1996).
A) completed grant applications;
B) supplemental materials, appendices or third party references provided by
the grantees, or other parties, in support of their grant application;
C) any material produced during the NEA's grant review process, including
panel comments;
D) the NEA's final notification of approval;
E) the post award evaluations and financial reports; and
F) where possible, copies of any actual projects, productions or programs
produced with these NEA funds.
In addition to the above, I would appreciate receiving copies of the minutes
from all meetings of the National Council of the Arts and any advisory panel meetings
during fiscal years 1994 through 1996.
In preparing the information requested for production to the subcommittee,
please repeat each question, clearly identify each document and specify to which
question it is responsive.
Thank you in advance for your assistance. Should you have any questions
concerning this request please do not hesitate to contact Derrick Max or Kent Talbert at
(202)225-7101.
Sincerely,
PeteHockstra
PETE HOEKSTRA
Chairman
Subcommittee on Oversight and
Investigations
cc: Representative William Clay
Representative Thomas Sawyer
Representative Ralph Regula