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National Endowment for the Arts

 
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The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 federally funded and donation assisted program that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current Acting Chairman is Patrice Walker Powell. The NEA has its offices in the Old Post Office building, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....


NEA mission is "to enrich our Nation and its diverse cultural heritage by supporting works of artistic excellence, advancing learning in the arts, and strengthening the arts in communities throughout the country." Its slogan is "A great country deserves great art."

Between 1965 and 2003, the agency has made in excess of 119,000 grants.






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The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 federally funded and donation assisted program that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current Acting Chairman is Patrice Walker Powell. The NEA has its offices in the Old Post Office building, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....


Background

The NEA mission is "to enrich our Nation and its diverse cultural heritage by supporting works of artistic excellence, advancing learning in the arts, and strengthening the arts in communities throughout the country." Its slogan is "A great country deserves great art."

Between 1965 and 2003, the agency has made in excess of 119,000 grants. Congress granted the NEA an annual funding of between US$160 and US$180 million from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. In 1996, Congress cut the NEA funding to US$99.5 million as a result of pressure from conservative groups, including the American Family Association
American Family Association

The American Family Association is a 501#501 non-profit organization that promotes Christian right values. It was founded in 1977 by Rev. Donald Wildmon as the National Federation for Decency and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, Mississippi....
, who criticized the agency for using tax dollars to fund highly controversial artists such as Robert Clark Young
Robert Clark Young

Robert Clark Young is an United States author of novel, essay and short story. Recurring themes in Young's work include the relation between alcoholism, the abuse of power, and institutional dysfunction in American life, within contemporary and historical contexts....
, Barbara Degenevieve
Barbara Degenevieve

Barbara DeGenevieve is an interdisciplinary artist currently living in Chicago, who works in photography, video, and performance. She lectures widely on her work as well as subjects including human sexuality, gender, transsexuality, censorship, ethics, and pornography....
, Andres Serrano
Andres Serrano

Andres Serrano is an United States photography who has become most notorious through his photos of corpses, as well as his controversial work "Piss Christ", a red-tinged photograph of a crucifix submerged in a glass container of what was purported to be the artist's own urine....
, Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe

Robert Mapplethorpe was an United States photographer, known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits, photos of flowers and naked men....
, and the so-called "NEA Four
NEA Four

The "NEA Four", Karen Finley, Tim Miller , John Fleck , and Holly Hughes , were performance artists whose proposed grants from the United States government's National Endowment for the Arts were vetoed by John Frohnmayer in June 1990....
." Since 1996, the NEA has partially rebounded with a 2004 budget of US$121 million. For FY 2008, the budget is US$144.7 million.

The NEA offers grants in the three areas of: 1) Art projects, 2) Leadership initiatives, and 3) Partnership agreements.

Additionally, the NEA awards the National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship

The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folklore and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts....
 and individual fellowships in literature
Literature

Literature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" . In Western culture the most basic written literary types include fiction and non-fiction....
.

Chairpersons

  • 1965-1969 Roger L. Stevens
    Roger L. Stevens

    Roger L. Stevens was an American theatrical producer, arts administrator, and a real estate executive. He is the founding Chairman of both the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts , and National Endowment for the Arts ....
    , appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson
    Lyndon B. Johnson

    Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States ....
  • 1969-1977 Nancy Hanks
    Nancy Hanks (NEA)

    Nancy Hanks was the second chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. She was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon and served from 1969 to 1977, continuing her service under President Gerald R....
    , appointed by Richard M. Nixon
  • 1977-1981 Livingston L. Biddle, Jr.
    Livingston L. Biddle, Jr.

    Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. was the third chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter and served from 1977 to 1981....
    , appointed by Jimmy Carter
    Jimmy Carter

    James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....
  • 1981-1989 Frank Hodsoll
    Frank Hodsoll

    Frank Hodsoll was the fourth chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and served from 1981 to 1989....
    , appointed by Ronald Reagan
    Ronald Reagan

    Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
    .
  • 1989-1992 John Frohnmayer, appointed by George H. W. Bush
    George H. W. Bush

    George Herbert Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Bush held a variety of political positions prior to his presidency, including Vice President of the United States in the administration of Ronald Reagan and Director of Central Intelligence under Gerald R....
  • 1993-1997 Jane Alexander
    Jane Alexander

    Jane Alexander is an award-winning American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film, and has committed herself to a variety of c...
    , appointed by Bill Clinton
    Bill Clinton

    William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
  • 1998-2001 Bill Ivey
    Bill Ivey

    Bill Ivey was the seventh chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton and served from 1998 to 2001....
    , appointed by Bill Clinton
    Bill Clinton

    William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
  • 2002 Michael P. Hammond
    Michael P. Hammond

    Michael P. Hammond was an American composer who was the eighth chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, appointed by President George W....
    , appointed by George W. Bush
    George W. Bush

    George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
  • 2003-2009 Dana Gioia
    Dana Gioia

    Michael Dana Gioia is an American poet and critic who retired early from his career as a corporate executive at General Foods to write full time....
    , appointed by George W. Bush
    George W. Bush

    George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
  • 2009 Patrice Walker Powell, Acting Chairman, appointed by Barack Obama
    Barack Obama

    Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....


See also

  • National Endowment for the Humanities
    National Endowment for the Humanities

    The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities....
  • List of music organizations in the United States
    List of music organizations in the United States

    This is a list of music organizations in the United States. It does not include list of symphony orchestras in the United States or other performance groups, or educational and research institutions unless they have significant programs outside the fields of education, research or performance....
  • List of National Medal of Arts winners
  • NEA Jazz Masters
    NEA Jazz Masters

    The NEA, or National Endowment for the Arts, every year honors up to seven jazz musicians with Jazz Master Awards. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowships are the highest honors that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians....
  • National Council for the Traditional Arts
    National Council for the Traditional Arts

    The National Council for the Traditional Arts is a private, Non-profit organization arts organization based in the United States that promotes the traditional arts....
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
    Culture of New York City

    The culture of New York City is shaped by centuries of immigration, the city's size and variety, and its status as the cultural capital of the United States....


Further reading

  • Alexander, Jane. Command Performance: an Actress in the Theater of Politics. Public Affairs, a member of the Perseus Book Group; New York, NY, 2000. ISBN 0306810441
  • Binkiewicz, Donna M. Federalizing the Muse: United States Arts Policy and the National Endowment for the Arts, 1965-1980, University of North Carolina Press, 312pp., 2004. ISBN 0807828785.
  • Napoleon, Davi
    Davi Napoleon

    Davi Napoleon, aka Davida Skurnick is an United States theater historian and critic. She was educated at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she earned a BA and an MA in psychology while studying playwriting with Kenneth Thorpe Rowe....
    . Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater
    Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater

    Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater is a book by Davi Napoleon about the onstage triumphs and the offstage turmoil at the Chelsea Theater Center of Brooklyn....
     This history of a theater in Brooklyn that won critical acclaim but could not always get funding to finish planned seasons is in part a case study of the arts funding crisis in America. Iowa State University Press.


External links