National Endowment for the Arts

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The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence.[1] 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; Broadway theatre producer Rocco Landesman has been nominated to be the next permanent chairman.[2] The NEA has its offices in the Old Post Office building, in Washington, D.C. It was awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1995.

Contents

[edit] Background

The NEA is "dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education".[1] Its slogan is "A great country deserves great art."

Between 1967 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, who criticized the agency for using tax dollars to fund highly controversial artists such as Robert Clark Young, Barbara Degenevieve, Andres Serrano, Robert Mapplethorpe, and the so-called "NEA Four." Since 1996, the NEA has partially rebounded with a 2004 budget of US$121 million.[3] For FY 2008, the budget is US$144.7 million.[4] For FY 2009, the budget is US$155 million.[5]

The NEA offers grants in the three areas of:

  • Art projects
  • Leadership initiatives
  • Partnership agreements.

Additionally, the NEA awards the National Heritage Fellowship and individual fellowships in literature.

[edit] Chairpersons

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b National Endowment for the Arts. "About Us". http://www.nea.gov/about/index.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-13. 
  2. ^ Robin Pogrebin, "Producer Is Chosen to Lead Arts Endowment", New York Times, May 13, 2009.
  3. ^ Backstage.com The Actor's Resource: Casting Calls, Movie Auditions and Actor's Union News
  4. ^ http://arts.endow.gov/news/news07/Budget2008.html
  5. ^ http://www.arts.gov/about/Budget/AppropriationsHistory.html
  6. ^ "National Endowment for the Arts Announces New Acting Chairman," NEA press release dated February 2, 2009 at NEA website.
  7. ^ Robin Pogrebin, "Saving Federal Arts Funds: Selling Culture as an Economic Force," New York Times, February 16, 2009.

[edit] 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. Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater 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.

[edit] External links


v • d • e
Chairs of the National Endowment for the Arts

Roger L. Stevens (1965) · Nancy Hanks (1969) · Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. (1977) · Frank Hodsoll (1981) · John Frohnmayer (1989) · Jane Alexander (1993) · Bill Ivey (1998) · Michael P. Hammond (2002) · Dana Gioia (2003)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_the_Arts"
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