National Endowment for the Arts
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National Endowment for the Arts logo |
The
National Endowment for the Arts is a
United States federally funded program that offers support and funding for projects that exhibit artistic excellence. It was created by the
U.S. Congress in
1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its chairman is poet
Dana Gioia and has its offices in the
Old Post Office in
Washington, D.C.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."
Between 1965 and
2003, the agency has made more than 119,000 grants. Congress granted the NEA annual funding between $160 and $180 million from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s. However, in 1996, Congress slashed NEA funding to $99.5 million
(see Chronology of Federal Support to the NEA) as a result of increasing pressure from conservative groups such as the
American Family Association, who have criticized the agency for using tax dollars to fund highly controversial artists such as
Robert Clark Young,
Andres Serrano,
Robert Mapplethorpe, and the so-called "
NEA Four." Since 1996, the NEA has rebounded somewhat with a 2004 budget of $121 million. [
1]
It offers grants in three areas:
*Art projects
*Leadership initiatives
*Partnership agreements
Additionally, the NEA awards individual fellowships in
literature.
The following people have served as Chairs for the National Endowment:
#
Roger L. Stevens, 1965â€"1969, appointed by
Lyndon B. Johnson#
Nancy Hanks, 1969â€"1977, appointed by
Richard M. Nixon#
Livingston L. Biddle, Jr., 1977â€"1981, appointed by
Jimmy Carter#
Frank Hodsoll, 1981â€"1989, appointed by
Ronald Reagan.#
John E. Frohnmayer, 1989â€"1992, appointed by
George H. W. Bush#
Jane Alexander, 1993â€"1997, appointed by
Bill Clinton#
Bill Ivey, 1998â€"2001, appointed by
Bill Clinton#
Michael P. Hammond, 2002, appointed by
George W. Bush#
Dana Gioia, 2003â€"present, appointed by
George W. Bush* Donna M. Binkiewicz,
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.
*
National Endowment for the Humanities*
List of National Medal of Arts winners*
NEA Jazz Masters*
National Council for the Traditional Arts*
National Endowment for the Arts website*
Chronology of Federal Support for the Arts (
PDF)
