Congress Goes On Record in Support of Arts Education and the NEA

April 24, 2007
Over 165 performing arts supporters sent letters to their representatives urging them to show their support for the performing arts by signing the Congressional Arts Caucus Dear Colleague letters in support of increased funding for the NEA and Arts Education. A recent crack-down on line-item requests has caused many members of Congress to adopt a policy of not signing on to any appropriations-related letters, no matter the issue or agency at stake. Despite clear direction that these letters are not line-item endorsements, this atmosphere has contributed to a lower-than normal number of signatures. 101 members signed the NEA Dear Colleague and 71 have signed the Arts Education Dear Colleague.

Phoenix Violist Testifies Before Congress

April 19, 2007
Phoenix Symphony violist Karen Bea testified before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee in support of increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This is the first time in several years that the U.S. House of Representatives invited public witness testimony regarding funding for the NEA. In her remarks, Bea described the impact of the NEA-supported One Nation project - a partnership between the Symphony and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Bea said, “I have witnessed the impact that the arts have in the lives of these students and their community. Over the months of study and preparation, students who were uncertain or shy developed improved self-confidence, coming out of their shells and developing new skills that they immediately put to use both on and off the stage. When a student experiences a full symphony orchestra from the inside for the first time, connecting with a masterpiece of sound, it is a life-changing experience that affects us all.” The committee members in attendance said they enjoyed hearing about the work of an NEA grant and were eager to mention the performing arts organizations in their districts. Interior Subcommittee Chair Rep. Dicks (D-WA-6) said he will do his part to see that the NEA receives an increase. Ranking member Rep. Tiahrt (R-KS-4) mentioned the positive impact of a recent National Symphony Orchestra residency his district and Rep. Udall (D-NM-3) mentioned NEA support of the Santa Fe Opera and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in his district. This was a rare on-the-record opportunity for Congress to hear directly from the performing arts community about the value of NEA grants to organizations.

In addition to Karen Bea’s testimony, Congressional Arts Caucus co-chair Rep. Slaughter (D-NY-28) and actress Kerry Washington also testified. Rep. Slaughter spoke passionately about the need for more NEA funding and stressed that the NEA is a great investment of federal dollars because of the economic return to a community and the federal coffers. Ms. Washington delivered compelling testimony about her experiences taking community art classes in the Bronx and stressed that the arts are necessary for developing creative thinkers.

NEA Chair Testifies Before Congress

March 20, 2007
NEA Chairman Dana Gioia testified before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee on March 20th. For the first time in many years, the NEA was invited to bring outside witnesses. Craig Hella Johnson, from the professional chamber choir Conspirare in Austin, Texas, spoke about the festival of American choral music that they put on with the help of an NEA American Masterpieces grant. Marie Pyko, a librarian from Topeka, Kansas, spoke about her experiences being in one of the pilot cities for The Big Read and the activities that were developed to support the reading of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Chairman Gioia said that he has five priorities for any substantial increase in NEA funding. Those priorities are 1) increasing the average grant size to organizations, 2) arts education, 3) increasing grants to underserved areas and populations, 4) increasing funds for the states and 5) supporting international exchange. Chairman Gioia said he would also like to increase honorifics for living artists.

First Hearing in 12 Years on the Importance of Investing in the Arts

March 13, 2007
The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing devoted to federal arts funding on Arts Advocacy Day. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA-6), chair of the Subcommittee, scheduled the hearing, entitled “Role of the Arts in Creativity and Innovation” to spotlight arts issues on Capitol Hill. He intended the hearing to serve as a powerful and symbolic statement to his colleagues and the public that he views the arts as a top priority for his Subcommittee. The witnesses included jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, CEO of BET Dr. Sheila C. Johnson, CEO of Raisbeck Engineering James Raisbeck, Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island David Cicilline, Actor Chris Klein and President and CEO of Americans for the Arts Robert L. Lynch.
 

NEA Budget Shifts Money to American Masterpieces

February 28, 2007 
Details of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)'s FY 2008 budget proposal have been made public on the agency's website. The budget outlines what the agency's goals are for 2008 and what the plans are for the $4 million increase in funding proposed in the President's FY 2008 budget. The budget includes a decrease in funds for Challenge America and grants to organizations and an increase for the American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artists Genius initiative, which is designed to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy. The additional American Masterpieces funding will go towards continuing programs in Musical Theater, Choral Music, Visual Arts and Dance, a new component to illustrate the best of American culture through Presenting and Touring and the expansion of the Big Read – the literary component of American Masterpieces.

  NEA FY 2008 Request to Congress

(in thousands)	FY07 Final	FY08 Request
Access, Arts Learning, TV & Radio Grants	$43,985	$40,996
Challenge America	$10,496	$8,458
American Masterpieces	$5,911	$12,311
State and Regional Partnerships	$40,262	$41,177
Administration	$23,752	$25,470
TOTALS	$124,406	$128,412

The $4 million increase would bring the agency's total budget to $128.4 million. This is the first time in three years that the administration has proposed an increase for the agency. While we applaud the President for acknowledging the importance of the agency to our nation, the NEA is still in need of significantly more funding dollars.

FY 2008 Budget Process Underway

February 6, 2007
The Bush Administration’s FY 2008 budget proposal was released on February 6 and includes modest budget increases for some of the federal cultural agencies including the NEA, National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Smithsonian and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Other programs that impact the performing arts did not fair so well. For the seventh year in a row, the budget provides no funding for the Arts in Education programs at the Department of Education. The budget also includes a 25 percent cut in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. There is a proposed increase for the Department of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, but it is unclear how much of that will be directed towards cultural exchange.