Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 19, 1994 TAG: 9411020010
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SUSAN JENNINGS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Wohlford's comments appear to be based on the American Family Association's August 1994 ``Action Page,'' which referenced a handful of alleged grants by the NEA. I would like to set the record straight on the exhibits she mentioned.
The NEA didn't support artist Joel-Peter Witkin with a $20,000 grant to produce the photographs she described. The fact is that he was last awarded an NEA grant in '92, prior to the appointment of Jane Alexander as chair of the endowment, and none of the photographs mentioned was produced during the endowment's fellowship period. However, it should be noted that Witkin is an internationally recognized artist whose photographs are included in the permanent collections of many museums, including the J. Paul Getty, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the National Gallery of Art.
The highly publicized example used to support the idea that the NEA supports ``lewd, offensive art,'' indeed the example that Sen. Jesse Helms used to convince the Senate to recently slash $8.5 million from the NEA budget, is based on less than $150 of NEA support for what some consider a questionable exhibit. The Walker Art Center, one of the oldest and most prestigious art organizations in Minnesota, was awarded a seasonal support grant of $104,500 (not $1 million as Wohlford stated) by NEA in '93.
The Walker Center subsequently used less than $150 of this grant toward a single performance by Ron Athey, based on African tribal traditions, in which some surface blood, akin to shaving nicks, was raised. The blood, which was not HIV-positive, was blotted with paper towels and affixed to a clothesline. Viewer discretion was clearly advised before the performance, and the Walker Center took appropriate safety precautions, as developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and approved by the Minnesota Department of Health. I'm sure we could debate whether this is considered art and appropriate for an institute of this stature, but the facts stated in Wohlford's letter were inaccurate.
I don't fault her for her misconceptions. Many have been misled by publications, such as those produced by the American Family Association, which aim to distort the facts about the NEA. Unfortunately, so much attention is given to these few distorted examples that the wonderful programs and educational opportunities the NEA supports are overshadowed.
For example, The Art Museum of Western Virginia received a $10,000 NEA grant this year to support an exhibition of Allen Carter's work. In '93, it received a $25,000 Advancement Grant to support implementation of a five-year plan, which includes staff training, computer updating and renovation projects. The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra received $4,800 in '93 to support its young people's concert series, and $4,900 in '94 for a composer-residency project.
Other recent area NEA grants include $20,000 to Ferrum to support an internship for a folk-arts specialist at the Blue Ridge Institute, $10,000 to Longwood College to support a traveling exhibition on folk art and music, and '93 and '94 grants totaling more than $50,000 to Lime Kiln Theater in Lexington to support its productions, touring and artist-in-residence programs in the schools. I recently saw Lime Kiln's production of ``Jack and the Big Tree,'' part of their Family Folk Festival, with my mother and 9-year-old son. It was great family entertainment, which three generations enjoyed.
In '94, the NEA granted more than $1.5 million to arts organizations in Virginia to support programming and arts education. At a time when schools are struggling, due to budget cuts, to include the arts in their curriculum, does it make sense to cut the NEA budget by $8.5 million because an institution spent $150 of federal money on one exhibit?
It's time for individuals like Helms to get the facts straight, and to stop using the NEA as a political target to garner votes. The arts are a $36 billion-a-year business, supporting 1.3 million jobs nationally. Certainly the positive contributions the arts make to our economy and quality of life make them more deserving of federal support than many other tax-supported programs that don't show this kind of return.
Susan Jennings is executive director of The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge in Roanoke.
by CNB