ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, October 25, 1996 TAG: 9610250010
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANNA FARIELLO
AT THE conclusion of the 20th century, it would seem that Americans are putting distance between themselves and their artists. The rallying cry for legislative support of the arts has been replaced by a call to suspend all such support. Yet in the mind of every one of us, the art of each age remains a defining element for the culture that produced it.
When we think of Egypt, we immediately picture the pyramids. Paris brings to mind Rodin's "Thinker." Italy draws forth Leonardo's "Mona Lisa," and Russia recalls a gold-encrusted icon. Each work of art brings to mind the essence of each culture, or rather the idealized essence of each culture, created by artists who embodied our collective visions and aspirations.
Sometimes all that remains of cultures past and cultures lost are their art and artifacts, keys to interpretations of our past. Native cities of Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon are frequently visited sites in the Southwest, helping all Americans to appreciate the heritage of native peoples.
Our culture, though younger than many others, is likewise recorded in words and images that will be studied and appreciated by subsequent generations. American icons that once belonged only to the artists who conceived and produced them, today belong to all of us: The Statue of Liberty, Grant Wood's "American Gothic" and the Vietnam Memorial are as much a part of us as apple pie and baseball.
Federal dollars were first spent on the arts in 1817, when Congress commissioned John Trumbull to paint four Revolutionary War scenes for the Capitol Rotunda. Larger appropriations have had lasting impact, such as the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution in 1850. Attempts to establish a federal commission on the arts began as early as 1859 with a proposal by President Buchanan. However, his and subsequent efforts did not come to fruition. During the last century, the arts were primarily supported by a few major philanthropists, such as Rockefeller and Carnegie, whose names retain recognition today for the institutions they founded.
Surprisingly, it was a national crisis that propelled Congress to make its first significant appropriation for the arts, with passage of the Works Progress Act. Not intended specifically for artists, the WPA nevertheless employed more than 40,000 artists. During the Depression, artists created many public artworks we admire today, from the hundreds of post-office murals in small communities to rural parks and living-history museums. Major architectural projects, such as the scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, continue to attract tourists to our urban centers.
In 1955, numerous bills to support the arts were introduced to Congress and would coalesce 10 years later with the passage of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act. At its signing President Johnson said, "Art is a nation's most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal vision, the people will perish."
His sentiment is echoed in the image of the Statue of Liberty, an ideological beacon off our shores, encouraging would-be citizens to strive for the best in the New World. One consequence of the act was the provision of seed money for meritorious projects that would have an impact on American culture. Seed funding resulted, for example, in the design and construction of the Vietnam Memorial, which remains an attraction for millions of Americans and foreign tourists as well, and has taken its place as a symbol for the enduring American spirit.
Since its creation in 1965, the National Endowment has received strong bipartisan support. President Nixon stated, "The important thing now is that government has accepted support of the arts as one of its responsibilities." Under his administration, the budget for the endowment grew, and grants supported the College Entry Examination Board, museum conservation and the Design Improvement Program to upgrade design and graphics in federal buildings. In 1974, President Ford penned his support "to inspire the people's pride in their Government." President Carter concurred with stabilized support for the endowment.
President Reagan recognized the investment potential of the arts, and he cited the National Endowment for the Arts for its "important role in catalyzing private support." This notion was later underscored by a government survey noting that admission receipts for nonprofit performing-arts events exceeded those for spectator sports. This trend has continued, positioning the arts in the U.S. economy as a major industry with an economic impact on related industries of tourism and hospitality. Indeed, the no-profit arts industry generates 1.3 million jobs and almost $5 billion in tax revenues annually.
During the '90s, a loud and incessant cry arose regarding use of our hard-earned taxes for the arts. But total funding for the National Endowment for the Arts is just 64 cents per person per year - and every dollar invested by the National Endowment is matched by $12 from local agencies, foundations, corporations, businesses and individuals.
Your 64-cent contribution supports a broad range of activities, from theater and dance to folk-arts festivals, from museums and orchestras to artists-in-schools programs. Appalshop, one of rural Kentucky's largest employers, has received grants to support workshops in old-time fiddle-playing, banjo picking and storytelling. Nationwide, museum attendance is up nearly 40 percent, and cultural tourism is becoming a leading component of the tourist industry. While criticism from Virginia's Allen administration runs high, nationally, 60 per cent of Americans are willing to support the arts with federal tax dollars.
In an effort to understand the relationship of the arts to culture, the National Endowment for the Arts is coordinating American Canvas, a series of six community meetings, privately funded, across the country. The Southeastern regional meeting was held this summer in Greensboro, N.C., and Rock Hill, S.C. The topic for the two-day open forum: "How the arts encourages community economic development and growth."
Endowment Chairman and former actress Jane Alexander posed the question: "How does the community intend to sustain the arts, year in, year out, and into the next century?" At the conclusion of her address in Rock Hill, Alexander placed the arts in a situation analogous to our natural resources at the end of the last century. Citing Teddy Roosevelt's inauguration of the national-parks system, she said, "Now at the beginning of the next century, we need to save our arts, just as we saved our land. America's culture needs conservation, protection and nourishment. We must come together in common interest to serve a national goal."
That goal is not necessarily for the benefit of artists. Artists already lead creative lives. Visual artists, writers, musicians, composers, choreographers - all are sustained and inspired by the work they produce. They frequently share with each other and, in turn, are inspired by the work of colleagues.
The National Endowment was never intended to provide financial support to artists by employing them as did the Works Progress Administration. Rather, the endowment provides artists with an infrastructure, much like a highway, a means of delivery. Federal arts funding is about access, bringing the art experience to communities and allowing our children to take part in the creative process.
Anna Fariello is director of galleries at Radford University and serves on the board of the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge.
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